In His Laugh
by Elayna Fournier
Summary: James and Sirius meet for the first time, and each are drawn to each other for some reason...
1. Sirius Black

Chapter 1

I first saw him standing there, looking lost but still haughty. He stood poised, glaring around the platform as if he were better than everyone else but also as if he were looking for someone to just be a friend, despite "social class".

"That's a Black right there," my mum told me, looking over at him through narrowed eyes. It was a little known fact that the Potters and the Blacks never got along. And I just happened to be a Potter. I glanced up at my mother as she continued on. "I had completely forgotten that they have a son your age. Oh well, it hardly matters. He'll be sorted into Slytherin like the rest and you'll be sorted into Gryffindor. As long as you don't go out of your way, you shouldn't have to ever associate with him."

I glanced back over at the boy standing alone, staring at the train. I felt sorry for him. He didn't seem to be evil and mean like the rest of his family. But my parents couldn't be wrong. They were my parents. They knew everything. Right?

So I turned away and walked onto the train, dragging my trunk behind me. It took me a while, but I was finally able to find an empty compartment. I dragged my trunk in and put it up on the rack. It took a lot of effort and as I wrestled with my trunk, a voice from behind me said, "Here, let me help. I'm thinking this trunk's too heavy for you to put of there alone."

Gratefully I accepted the newcomer's help. Once it was up, I turned around and came face to face with Sirius Black. He wore an uncertain smile on his face and his grey eyes were shining with joy. Uncertain as to how to proceed, I just stood there dumbly, looking at him. His smile faltered briefly but he kept it up as he held out his hand.

"I'm Sirius Black, although you probably already knew that, judging by your dumbfounded look," he said amiably. I studied him for a moment, the nervous look in his eyes, the dark hair falling across his face, his demeanor fairly shy. But he was evil and mean, like the rest of his family, right? After all, my parents had told me that several times. But he had helped me…the least I could do was shake his hand and invite him to sit with me on the train, right?

"I'm James Potter. Would you like to sit with me on the way to Hogwarts?" I offered, grabbing his hand as well and shaking it earnestly. A huge smile lit up his face and his eyes seemed to shine with a newfound mischievousness. He must have been delighted at how easily he had been accepted by someone who knew of his family and their involvement in the dark arts.

"Sure, that would be awesome. Um…let me just go get my trunk." With those words, he left, glancing back at me as if to reassure himself that I wasn't just tricking him. I glanced out of the train window and saw my mom talking to some other people. After a brief argument with myself, I left the compartment and went out to give a final farewell to my mom. After all, I wouldn't see her until Christmas time, if then.

"Hey, you all ready to go?" she asked as I walked over to her. I nodded somewhat sheepishly. I always hated intruding on conversations between adults.

"Yeah I am," I answered, quickly leaning in and giving her a tight hug. My mother, slightly surprised by the display of public affection, hugged me back just as tightly.

"It's going to be really quiet around the house without random things exploding. I'm really going to miss you and I'm sure your father will too," she whispered in my ear as she unconsciously tried to smooth down my messy hair.

I looked up and nodded. It was times like that when I felt so lucky to have someone like my mother in my life. I was often accused of being a spoiled rich kid by people in my neighborhood. That would probably be one of the main reasons I don't really have a lot of friends. Living in a mansion is kind of…formidable looking to some people. I didn't have what most kids had though, and that was a dad. My father was almost never home. He was constantly at work or out at some business meeting or dinner. My mom, however, was a steady companion in my life.

"I've got to go get on the train, mum," I said softly, backing up ever so slightly and flashing her a quick grin. She smiled too and ruffled my hair, realizing that it would never be tame.

"Alright then. I'll see you around Christmas then, unless something unexpected happens, which I'm not expecting. I love you."

I turned around and began walking to the train after muttering a quick 'I love you' back. It wasn't cool to tell your mother that you loved her after all. I boarded the train and walked back to my compartment, excitement coursing through me. I was completely oblivious to everything that was happening around me. I had a one track mind and that was Hogwarts.

As I reached my compartment I noticed Sirius Black standing outside, looking confused, lost, and hurt. I suddenly realized that I had abandoned him and he was probably wondering where I had gone. Instantly feeling guilty, I called out, "Hey man. Let me give you a hand with that."

A relived smile crossed his face and he willing obliged. Within minutes we were both seated with our trunks safely resting on the rack. Silence fell between us and I studied him again.

He was staring out the window, a small smile on his face constantly that spoke of his content and hope for a promising Hogwarts career. His eyes drifted over to where I was sitting every now and then, as if trying to assess me without my knowing it. He sat with a straight back as if it had been drilled into his mind since the day he was born. Sirius Black really did seem to fit the classic aristocrat, poised, pale skinned, haughty, and classically good looking, despite the fact that he was only eleven years old.

I rolled my eyes at myself. I could be a psychiatrist the way I was observing the boy sitting across from me. Sirius must have noticed because he turned to look at me with mild confusion in his eyes. I shook my head and burst into laughter. Sirius must have thought that I'm the craziest person on the planet, and perhaps I am. The thing that amazed me, though, was when he burst into laughter with me. Neither of us having a reason but laughing as if the world would end if we didn't.

Sirius had a nice laugh. It was loud and somewhat bark-like, but it was warm and heartfelt. It was a really pleasant sound. I wondered what my laugh sounded like to him. Probably empty and small.

Eventually our laughter faded and we looked at each other, mildly shy smiles on our faces. A few chuckles followed our eyes meeting and then we drifted off into more silence, this one more comfortable.

It was then, I think, that I realized that Sirius Black was different from his family. It was in his laugh.

A.N. hmm…this story is dedicated to my daddy. He died a month ago and I think he would like this one. Lol. so please don't flame it or I think I'll cry. Well…I'd probably laugh, but that's not the point. Anyways, please review.


	2. James Potter

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowlings. I am not making money off of this story, nor do I desire to be one of the richest people on the planet.

Chapter 2  
(Sirius's pov)

I stood there, staring around the platform. I couldn't believe that my parents couldn't find the time out of their "busy schedules" to drop me off and say goodbye. Instead I was given a quick lecture, a pat on the head, and then a push out the door. I had taken a taxi to the station and managed to get there about forty-five minutes early. As such, I was left to stare around at arriving families. Families who stayed and gave their children hugs. Families who actually had time for their kids.

I rolled my eyes and stood as haughty as I could. After all, I couldn't completely forget my good upbringing, could I? My parents had preached good posture, excellent manners, and proper language since the day I was born. I was better than everyone else, or so they said. I wasn't sure how true that was, but I accepted it. It was better than being ignored in my own house.

Opinions were bad in my family. There was only one opinion to live by and if you did not agree with it then you were wrong. I wasn't sure how that worked, wrong opinions, but I didn't speak out. I listened to what they said outwardly and ignored them inwardly. It was the way of life in the Noble House of Black. I rolled my eyes again as I bitterly thought of my psychotic parents.

Over in a corner I noticed a boy and his mother staring over at me. I could already hear the harsh words being said. "He's a Black" "He'll lead to no good" "He'll be just like the rest of his family". Sighing, I tried to ignore the two. I'd heard all of the insults, all of the assumptions. Normally I didn't care, but one can only ignore so many personal attacks without getting agitated. Especially if those attacks were coming from people who didn't even know me. I did my best to ignore them and returned to gazing around the station, trying not to appear lost and confused.

After a few minutes, the boy with the mother walked onto the train, dragging his trunk behind him. I stayed where I was for a moment before deciding to follow him. I didn't really care what his mother said. Maybe he would be able to form his own opinions. Perhaps he would give me the chance to prove myself to be a nice person. _Ha, dream on Black_, my subconscious told me bitterly. I ignored it, as usual and marched onto the train, leaving my trunk behind. I didn't want to have to carry it on just to have to carry it elsewhere if my efforts were completely rejected.

I searched around for a little bit and eventually found the boy straining to put his trunk up on the given racks in the compartments. "Here, let me help. I'm thinking this trunk's too heavy for you to put of there alone," I offered, immediately reaching over to help him lift up his trunk. He accepted my help without any words, just a grunt of acknowledgement and together we managed to put the trunk on the rack. It was then that I began to feel nervous. I could either be accepted or rejected in a heartbeat. I was praying for the former, but considering I wasn't a big believer of divine intervention, I wasn't overly optimistic.

He turned and looked at me. For a moment he didn't say anything, just stared at me. I was beginning to feel increasingly nervous so I held out my hand and cheerfully greeted him. "I'm Sirius Black, although you probably already knew that, judging by your dumbfounded look." There. That sounded pleasant enough. Not overly anxious yet not overly haughty.

The boy hesitated, obviously facing an internal battle. He was probably thinking of his mother's words. This was starting to look promising for me. Most people would have simply walked away at hearing my last name. This boy didn't, though, and it gave me hope. I stood there nervously, my hand outstretched. After what seemed like forever, the boy grinned and grabbed my hand. "I'm James Potter. Would you like to sit with me on the way to Hogwarts?"

A smile formed on my face. He was a Potter, and he was still giving me a chance. Almost too quickly I responded with, "Sure, that would be awesome. Um…let me just go get my trunk."

With those words said, I exited the compartment and went to find my trunk where I had left it. People were standing around it and I had to slip in between people to get to it. A lot of people backed off, as if afraid to ignite a Black's fury. I sighed. It was really not so cool to have one of the most recognizable faces in England. I grabbed the end of my trunk and began pulling it back to the train, ignoring all of the people around me. Someday, I knew, they'd see that I was just as good as they were, which was weird considering, socially, I was supposed to be better than everyone. Simply because of my "pureblood".

I pulled my trunk onto the train, struggling under its insane weight. My mother and father had been through my trunk to make certain that I had brought a ton of Slytherin relics and old family items. I planned on disposing those as soon as I arrived at Hogwarts. I did not intend to get into Slytherin. In fact, if I did, I intended to leave and let my family enroll me in Durmstrang like they had wanted to in the first place.

When I arrived at the compartment that James had just been at, I was surprised to find that he was gone. Maybe he had changed his mind and no longer desired to sit with me. Maybe he had gone off to find other people to sit with so he could use the excuse that the compartment was full after all. Maybe…my thoughts trailed off as I turned and saw James approaching, an apologetic grin on his face. I smiled again, feeling immensely relieved that he hadn't changed his mind.

"Hey man. Let me give you a hand with that," he called out as he approached me. I readily accepted his help and we were soon sitting down in the compartment waiting for the train to leave.

I sat staring out the window, uncertain of what to say to James Potter. He was so different from me, I could tell. In appearance, he looked similar to me somehow. He was actually probably related to me in some way, considering most purebloods are. It didn't matter though, considering he and his family was considered blood traitors. I didn't care. Why should I?

I could tell out of the corner of my eyes that he was watching me. It wasn't polite to stare and it was un-Black to openly observe a person. I hadn't quite mastered the inconspicuous observation pattern that my parents had but I did my best. Though it randomly caught my eye that he rolled his eyes. At me? That was my first thought, but when he started laughing, I was completely bewildered. Was it something I had done? When he didn't stop laughing, I could feel the corners of my mouth twitching, wanting to burst into laughter as well.

I managed to hold it in for a little bit, but finally cracked and started laughing as hard as my companion. I could tell that he was pleasantly surprised that I would join in. There was no purpose to our laughter, but it seemed like it bonded us. Our laughter drifted together and merged into one sound. My laugh loud and bark-like, his softer and joyful. It wasn't this big monumental moment, it just…was. It was a time to forget all troubles and cares. Laughter brought out the good in the world, even when it seemed like there was very little. And it was in his laughter that I managed to form a bond with a person I would soon regard as my first, and best, friend.

A.N. I originally had not planned on making an actual story thing, but I had brilliant inspiration. Alright, I'm asking an opinion here: Do you think each chapter should end with the phrase "in his laugh" somewhere? I don't know, but...I was thinking I would, but I'm not sure how quickly repitition will get either. Anyways, each chapter will switch from James's pov to Sirius's pov on the same event. Cool? I thought so. lol, cheers. Thanks to all of you who reviewed in the first chapter.


	3. Hogwarts Express

Chapter 3  
(James pov)

I was not expecting to enjoy riding with Sirius has much as I did. It was a very enjoyable experience as we discussed our likes and dislikes, or wants and needs, our hopes and dreams. There was no way that this could be the same boy that my mother had basically told me was evil. He was so carefree and happy. Every now and then, he would throw his head back and burst into exuberant laughter, causing me to laugh as well, matching his joyous behavior.

Around 6:00 p.m. a prefect walked by our compartment, telling us to get ready as we were arriving at Hogwarts soon. The prefect paused and looked at Sirius and me as we sat there, looking at him, my eyebrows raised and Sirius looking haughty again. The prefect quickly recollected himself and walked off to tell other students. Sirius cocked his head slightly, as if unsure of how to continue. I flashed him a quick grin and he cheered up again. I smiled and watched as he methodically put some of his items away and got dressed.

I also began getting dressed into my robes. In just a little while longer, I would be officially sorted into my house and attending Hogwarts. Excitement coursed through me stronger than it had earlier that day. In just a little while, my entire Hogwarts career would be decided. I would be a Gryffindor and I would make incredible friends and I would pull awesome pranks and I…would have to say good bye to Sirius.

Sadness suddenly overtook me. I did not want to have to bid my new friend farewell, though I knew I would have to should he be sorted into Slytherin. And we both knew that chances of him escaping his designated house would be nearly impossible. Sirius looked sad as he straightened his robe and made himself look presentable.

"Come on, Sirius, cheer up," I urged, trying to reassure him that things would be alright. My words sounded hollow and empty to my own ears. No wonder people didn't usually take me seriously when I tried to cheer them up. "It won't be that bad," I continued on, bravely, I thought. "The sorting will be over within a few minutes and then you'll be able to make loads of friends and…"

I trailed off. There wasn't anything I could say without stating the inevitable. Sirius Black would most likely be in Slytherin and there was nothing neither of us could do about it. All because of a surname that he did not live up to by his family's standards. Of course, maybe Sirius was different. I thought so, without a doubt. But could whoever was sorting us see it too?

"It's alright James," he said softly, staring out the window as he sat back down in his seat. "Whatever happens happens and I'll be fine wherever I end up."

I sighed and sat down as well. It wasn't fair. I meet someone who I could easily consider a best friend if I was able to spend more time with him and he just happens to be the son of a dark arts family. Go figure. I didn't voice my opinions in this though, as I decided it might make Sirius feel bad.

The train pulled into the station and I got up. Beside me, Sirius slowly got to his face and a barrier seemed to fall across his face. Now his face was no longer open and friendly, but instead it was shrouded and closed off to all intrusion. I shuddered. It was a scary look to be on any face, let alone on the face of an eleven year old who could have been a close friend of mine. It was hard to believe that this boy was the same one that I had laughed with until I couldn't breathe just a few hours earlier.

"Well, are you ready?" I asked somewhat hesitantly. Sirius nodded and we both exited the train, leaving it behind us as we headed towards a tall skinny lady standing a short distance away from us and calling all first years toward her.

As we neared, I was able to see her gray hair flying about her face and her somewhat frazzled look. She stood there, a lantern in her hand and calling for the first year students at the top of her shrill lungs. It was really piercing on ears if you happened to be within ten feet of her.

One by one, students began arriving in small groups. As I gazed around I could immediately see distinctions. It was as if each had chosen his or her own house already. Most of the people who were well known children of dark arts followers were clustered together, huddling for warmth in the cool breeze. There were some students who just looked smart who were together, discussing the latest books that they had read, most likely about one of their textbooks. And the other students were just clumped. I chuckled softly under my breath. Sirius Black and I must have looked funny to the already formed cliques.

"Alright, first years," the woman with crazy hair began, "we're going to take these boats across the lake. As we turn one of these bends, you will be met by your first glance of Hogwarts. I'd like you all to get into these boats." She waved her arm around the edge of the lake. There were several boats just waiting to sail across the lake. "Four only to a boat, please," she called out again as we began to pile into them.

I found a boat and quickly climbed in, Sirius following me. For a moment his mask faded and was replaced by fear, but the mask quickly returned and he sat down quietly, looking anywhere but my face. I sighed and looked forward. I only turned when I felt the boat rock. I spun around and saw a red head girl and a blond boy get in. I managed to give them both a small grin, and turned back to staring out across the water.

Before I knew it, the boats had taken off and were sailing across the lake. Behind me I could hear the boy and girl introducing themselves to Sirius. Their names were Lily Evans and Remus Lupin from what I heard. Sirius introduced himself in a gruff voice and then ignored the two. I could now see how he could be a cold, mean person that my mother would want me to avoid. There was only a problem with that philosophy. I had seen him when he was kind and warm, cheerful and open. I sighed again and hoped with all my might that he wasn't sorted into Slytherin. If he was, he would most likely be destroyed. His cheerful spirit would be extinguished and his laugh would no longer resound throughout any room that he was in.

All sudden thoughts were jarred from my mind, though, as we turned the bend and saw the great castle that was otherwise known as Hogwarts. Behind me I could hear gasps of amazement and many different sounds shock. I smiled slightly. This would be my home for the next year, except holidays.

"Isn't it amazing," Sirius breathed in my ear. I jumped slightly as his warm breath brushed across my ear. I had not been expecting him to randomly speak.

I turned to look at him and found his eyes round and wide and completely focused on the great castle. "It is amazing," I muttered in response, not really sure that he was even conscious enough to hear me. He seemed completely engrossed in the sight. I grinned slightly and turned to the two other people in our boat. They too were also engaged in the castle. Finding no one to talk to, I turned back to staring at the beautiful surroundings.

Before long, we arrived at the other shore and climbed out of the boats. The woman who had been charge of leading us across the lake lead the way up the huge steps to the front door. As we neared the top, the double doors opened and a stern looking lady stepped out, staring at us first years in a formidable fashion. "The first years, I'm presuming," she said in a soft voice, and then beckoned us forward with her head. Obediently, we followed, not wanting to get into trouble before we were sorted.

"I am Professor McGonagall. I must leave for a few moments but I will return. Through those doors you will be sorted. You will then be able to go and sit with your new houses and eat. Until then, make yourselves presentable. I will return soon." McGonagall left and the students immediately began chatting softly. Black stood slightly off to the side of me, withdrawn. I could see the entire process going through his mind.

Deciding that he'd been torturing himself enough about the sorting I walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder in an encouraging manner. "Everything's going to be awesome. Just you watch. And even if we're not in the same house, we can still be friends."

A smile lit up Sirius's face for the first time since we got off of the train. "Really?" he questioned, as if he doubted the validity of my statement.

I nodded, not bothering to tell him that maintaining a friendship would almost be impossible if I got placed in Gryffindor and he got placed in Slytherin. At least he had a little bit of hope, even if it was false.

Before he could respond, Professor McGonagall arrived and gestured with her hand for us to follow her out into the Great Hall. Once again we allowed ourselves to be herded around and followed her into the hall without question. As the doors were pushed open, I was able to get my first glimpse of the hall. There were four huge tables, students already seated at each of them. There were several chandeliers everywhere and the sky was also enchanted to look like the sky. I glanced over at Sirius to see him craning his head all around as if trying to see everything at the same time.

A chuckle managed to escape my lips. He glanced over at me as well and our eyes met for a moment. So many different forms of encouragement were passed between us as he chuckled as well. We would be friends, no matter where we were sorted or what our parents thought. That much was evident.

A.N. Instead of ending with "in his laugh" i think I'm gonna end with one of them laughing. Anyways, thanks to all of my beautiful amazing reviewers. I would love it if you would review some more.


	4. In Awe

Chapter 4

(Sirius pov)

Despite how long the train ride was, it didn't seem long enough. James Potter proved himself to be an interesting person and I, despite all objections, found myself enjoying his presence. I did not want to make a new friend and then have to give him up because of my family. It wasn't fair, but there's life.

James Potter was a different kind of person. I had never met someone like him. On the outside he appeared confident and unconcerned about what people thought about him. But as I got to know him throughout the ride, I discovered that he was as insecure as I was and somewhat sentimental. He was, however, able to hide those feelings and overcome whatever negative emotions he was feeling.

So we spent the ride talking about whatever came to mind, quidditch, magic, families (I didn't prefer this topic and changed it as quickly as possible), and food being just a few of the multiple topics. I found myself smiling and laughing more than I usually did. I found myself opening up and expressing usually hidden opinions, though I attempted to keep the conversation as far away from my family as I possibly could. With James I felt free to say whatever I so desired. And it was a nice feeling, too. Our conversations came to an end, though, as a prefect came by our compartment telling us to get ready.

Once again I felt my heart plummet. We were that much closer to Hogwarts. That much closer to the sorting. That much closer to my inevitable doom. Well, at least I considered it doom. The last thing I wanted was to hear more pureblood propaganda. The reason I was so set against it was that I knew I would give in. Eventually, I knew I would grow tired of getting lectured and verbally abused. A person can only be so strong after all. After a while, even the toughest person would give in to that kind of treatment.

James must have sensed that something was wrong for he glanced up at me with a concerned expression on his face. I avoided his gaze as I pulled on my robe. "Come on Sirius," he muttered in a half-heartedly cheerful voice, "cheer up." I brushed off his words easily and straightened my robes. It would just not do to be looking scruffy during the sorting. After all, a Black should always look his best. It was the "dignified" thing to do.

James was still looking at me in concern, as if I was glass and would break under extreme pressure at any minute. Not liking the feeling, I pointedly ignored his gaze and turned my gaze to the window. I had to say something to reassure him. He was involved now, like it or not. He wouldn't be for long, but until then…well, he was a good friend and he had the right to know that everything would be fine, even if they wouldn't really be. "It's alright James. Whatever happens happens and I'll be fine wherever I end up," I said softly, still not meeting his gaze. Really, it was a lot more comforting to just be staring out the window.

Finally he took his intense gaze off of me as he sat down, sighing. I could see the thoughts cycling through his mind. They were about me and my family and my destiny. Grimly, I smiled as I sat down as well. Maybe I'd prove them all wrong. Maybe I'd show everyone that I wasn't like my family. In fact, maybe I'd get into Gryffindor. Maybe I would be the first Black to get into Gryffindor. At thought, my confidence deflated and I started thinking realistically again. Black. That's what I was, a Black. Nothing would change that.

Again I felt depression descend upon my mood and it remained there until we got to Hogwarts. And when we got there, it just increased. I just couldn't stop focusing on my inevitable fate. Even if I didn't get into Slytherin I knew a lot of bad things could and most likely would happen. If I were not sorted into Slytherin, my family and entire Slytherin population would immediately disown me and be angry. And while that wasn't necessarily bad, it wasn't necessarily preferred either. And if I were sorted into Slytherin, I knew that I would be miserable. I sighed as I stood up when the train pulled into the station. Either way, I was screwed. Go figure.

"Well, are you ready?" James's voice jarred me out of my thoughts and looked over at him. He was looking at me cautiously, as if afraid that I might blow up. I nodded wearily in response and followed him off the train. As we got off, I could hear a shrill little voice calling for first years. I glanced around and my eyes finally came to rest on a lady who had grey hair that was flying everywhere and a frazzled look on her face. I grinned ever so slightly and followed James over to her.

We were some of the first people over to her so we got to wait for a while. As we waited, the chilly air wrapped around us. I clutched my coat closer around my body, but to no avail. The cold went straight through it. I shivered and gazed around at the arriving students. A few of them glanced at James and me in a funny fashion and I did my best to ignore them. I could see it already. A Black and a Potter standing together. What could that possibly mean? I rolled my eyes and beside me I could hear James chuckle ever so slightly.

As all of the first years arrived, the witch started explaining what we were going to do. I zoned out almost immediately. At the moment, the only thing I was concerned about was the sorting. Unfortunately, my one track mind also meant that I had no idea what we were doing when everyone started to disperse. I figured the safest thing to do would be to just follow James. He led me to a boat and got in. I climbed in behind him and two others climbed in behind me.

Finally things were starting to make sense to me. This had to be our way to Hogwarts. I had no idea why we were going this way, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get the sorting over with. See? One track mind.

The lake was beautiful though and even through my haze of self-pity, I could see that. Really, the entire area was breathtaking. I still couldn't really appreciate it though. It's funny how self-pity takes away the joy out of every little thing and makes it antagonize me. Then again, that's just my perspective.

And then I saw it. There in front of me. Hogwarts stood majestically and proudly in front of me. A castle of great charm. A castle that demanded respect. A castle that would become my home. Beside me, James was staring up at it intensely. I could tell that he was also impressed by the glorious sight. Leaning in close, I whispered, "Isn't it amazing?"

Numbly, he turned around to face me. I focused my attention back on the castle in front of us. "It is amazing," he responded, sounding like me. Completely in awe. I grinned ever so slightly. It was nice to meet someone who could also appreciate beauty.

Behind me, I could hear gasps of surprise and awe as well. It must have been from the two people who had gotten in behind me. I had been to focused on my own problems to even think of them. But the sight of my new home had completely erased all thoughts from my mind. All that mattered was that I was here. I was alive and well and that was all that mattered. As it should.

All too soon the boats hit the shore, breaking my train of thoughts. I glanced up at Hogwarts one last time before getting out of the boat after James, the two other first years following me. The frazzled little witch led us up the steps to the front doors of the magnificent castle. At the top we were met by another witch. Instead of looking frazzled, this witch looked composed and intensely stern.

After making sure that we were the first years, she gestured us to follow her. We all did, deciding that she was not a witch to be trifled with. When we got inside, the woman stopped again and opened her mouth to speak. This time I resolved to listen to her. "I am Professor McGonagall," she said softly, gazing around at the first years. "I must leave for a few moments but I will return. Through those doors you will be sorted. You will then be able to go and sit with your new houses and eat. Until then, make yourselves presentable. I will return soon."

She departed the room and left us standing around. As I glanced around, I noticed that most of the people looked lost. Except for a few who I recognized to be from pureblood families. They had the trademark haughty look on their faces and laughed at the other nervous students. Looking at the students who I knew were destined for Slytherin, I felt dread fill my stomach again. These would be my classmates.

Randomly I felt a hand touch my back. I looked up in mild surprise and saw James. "Everything's going to be awesome. Just you watch. And even if we're not in the same house, we can still be friends."

Unable to believe what I had just heard, I stared at him as if I had never seen him before. He would remain being my friend even if I was a Slytherin? That broke every single unwritten house law. "Really?" I asked, not caring about how pathetic I sounded.

James grinned ever so slightly and nodded as Professor McGonagall came back into the room and took us out into another room. As the doors were pushed open, an amazing room met my gaze. There were four long tables with each different house sitting at one. The entire room was a sea of black. Black robes and black hats. I glanced up at the ceiling and saw the sky. well, at least a ceiling that was enchanted to look like the sky.

Beside me I heard I random chuckle. It was James. I suddenly realized how silly I must have looked. I was craning my head around in a very un-Black-like manner, trying to absorb everything at the same time. I turned and looked straight into his eyes. There was such trust, such faith…such loyalty. It stunned me. It stunned me breathless. Everything would be alright. Even if the world was going to hell, I knew I would be alright. It was then that I let myself chuckle back in return.

A.N. I really do not like this chapter. It was way too repetitive. As such, I am going to think of a brilliant new format. I'm thinking…random pov. Ha ha ha. You'll never know who it is. Well, I'll tell you, but hey. Coolness. Anyways, sorting up next. Please review. It really is the highlight of my pathetic life.


	5. Gryffindor

Chapter 5  
(Sirius pov)

Professor McGonagall led us between the tables to the front of the room where she stopped us and looked around at all of us. I was feeling increasingly nervous as the hat, unsuspectingly, burst into song.

I raised my eyebrows. Sure it wasn't news to me that in the magic world inanimate objects can have the ability to do other things, but this would decide my fate? A ragged hat that looked as if it had been around since the beginning of Hogwarts. Against my will I felt disdain towards it, knowing that it was most likely a Slytherin trait.

I was so absorbed in my own musings that I didn't even hear what the hat said. I had a feeling that it had something to do with the different houses and their traits, but that was just guessing. My heart started pounding wildly in my chest as Professor McGonagall unrolled the scroll that had our names on it. My fate was about to be decided and because of my bloody last name, I would be one of the first few people to be sorted.

"Alcove, Cassandra," she called out in a strong voice, staring around at us to see which student would be the first victim.

A young girl with short brown hair walked shakily up to the stool. Carefully she sat down and allowed the teacher to put the hat on her head. The air suddenly became suspenseful as everyone waited for the house to shout out one word. The one word that would decide where she would spend her next seven years at Hogwarts.

After a few seconds, the hat yelled out "HUFFLEPUFF!" and the girl took the hat off and walked over to her new house, a relieved expression across her face. Around her, the other houses applauded, Hufflepuff obviously being the loudest and Slytherin almost nonexistent.

I gulped somewhat unconsciously as I watched her take a seat. That girl was feeling relief, but I was one name closer to my turn. The way I figured it, I had at least a couple more names until mine.

"Black, Sirius."

Or I could be next. I stepped forward, staring at the hat and Professor McGonagall suspiciously. Sitting down on the stool, she placed the hat on my head and stepped away. Around me, I could hear dull whispers, most likely about my last name and my inevitable placement in Slytherin. And then another voice spoke, only this one was in my head.

"Hmm, another one I see. It seems like you never stop coming. Not that it's a bad thing. It's just highly predictable. Anyways, that's not the point. Where should I put you? There's a question I haven't had to ask about your family. Hmm…the obvious choice is Slytherin, but I can see something greater in your mind. And you are too intelligent for Hufflepuff. That isn't even an option. I'd say Ravenclaw, but you don't have that type of nature do you? No I didn't think so. And Gryffindor…well, I think you know what everyone says about Gryffindor. At least in your family. But still…"

_"Anything but Slytherin,"_ I thought to myself, closing my eyes and willing the hat to hear my opinion.

Apparently it did. "Are you sure? You could be great in Slytherin. Then again, you could be great in Gryffindor too, so it doesn't really matter. Yes, I suppose you're right. I can see your courage in standing against your family and their teachings. But if you decide it's too much for you to handle, don't come crying to me. It's not my fault. GRYFFINDOR!" The last word was screamed.

I took off the hat, stunned by my good fortune. So was the rest of the hall. Not a sound was heard, not the loud clapping, not the congratulations, just silence. Cold, hard silence. All eyes were upon me. Feeling self-conscious, I stood up from the stool and walked to my new house, hoping for someone to be pleased with my sorting. I should have expected it really. Even if the hat could see that I wasn't like my family, no one else could. They just couldn't see past my name.

I was about to collapse onto the bench of the Gryffindor house in defeat when I heard clapping. It came from the first years. James Potter brought his hands together, a proud look on his face and a smile curving on his lips. I smiled in return and mouthed 'thank you' as the rest of the Great Hall gave me an applause. I took my seat and turned to watch the rest of the sorting. That one word that had decided my fate wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I was really pleased with the outcome.

dot dot dot---  
(James pov)

Watching Sirius being sorted had taken for what seemed like a lifetime. Sure, I didn't mind prolonging my own sorting, but that didn't mean that I wasn't apprehensive for my new friend. I really did not want to have to become his enemy simply because of his house. Although, I suppose we could have remained friends, just not _good_ friends.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled out. Relief immediately flooded through my exhausted body. Worrying took a lot of energy out of a person, I discovered.

Sirius tentatively took the hat off of his head and looked around for a moment, happiness being conflicted with surprise and worry. The room was silent and everyone was staring at him. As if they'd never heard of a Black in Gryffindor…oh wait, they hadn't. I sighed and watched as Sirius walked to the bench, a dejected slump in his shoulders.

Unable to watch my friend being rejected so harshly, I began clapping. Sirius turned to look at me, a hopeful and thankful expression on his face. He smiled his thanks and dropped onto the bench as the rest of the hall began applauding as well.

Now all I had to do was survive my own sorting. Which might actually be harder than it sounds. Or easier, depending on your point of view. I was supposed to be a Gryffindor. After all, my entire family had been in Gryffindor since…well, since forever. But then again, all of Sirius's family had been in Slytherin and just look where he was now. Sitting at the Gryffindor table, watching the sorting, anxiously awaiting my sorting.

Who knew? After Sirius's sorting, I was willing to believe anything. Being declared a squib at that moment would not have surprised. Okay, maybe it would have, but it gets the point across. After all, weirder things have happened. They just had.

"Lupin, Remus."

A boy with sandy brown colored hair stepped forward and walked to the stool, sitting down slowly and allowing the professor to place it on his head. As he sat there, I watched him. He appeared to be somewhat sickly as his skin was incredibly pale. Perhaps he had some chronic illness. Or maybe I was just jumping to conclusions and he was just having an off day. _"A very off day_,_" _my mind said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts and clapped along with the rest of the hall when the hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!" If all went well, he would be one of my housemates.

I zoned out again, staring at the ceiling and wondering what my family would say if I was sorted into Slytherin. Inwardly, I bitterly laughed. They would say how proud of me they were and would scorn me when I was not around. Go figure. Thus the extent of my loving my family. Or, rather, the extent of my father's love. My mom wouldn't care. Well, she'd care, she'd just be disappointed for a time and then get over it. I loved my mom.

Again I heard the word "GRYFFINDOR" being called up and I glanced up in time to see a short, chubby boy walking towards the Gryffindor table. I raised my eyebrows slightly but silenced any negative thoughts before they thought anything that could be considered hurtful. After all, if I could give Sirius Black a chance, I should be able to give some boy who most likely came from a better family one too.

"Potter, James."

Dang it. My turn had come, unsuspectingly as I had suspected it would. I had gotten so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I had forgotten about the sorting. Well, mostly forgotten about it.

I straightened up and walked to the stool, hopefully giving off an air of confidence. In truth, it was the farthest feeling from my body. I was drowning in my worry at this point and just wished I could take a rain check on the whole sorting thing. I didn't give off any signs of nerves, at least I hope I didn't, as I sat down on the stool. The professor set the hat on my head and took a few steps back.

"Ah, another Potter. Wow, I'd say where should I put you, but I already know where you're going. How would you like to be in Slytherin?"

For a moment, my heart stopped. Then I heard the hat chuckling. Apparently he could sense my feelings. "Calm down, my dear boy. I would as soon as put you in Slytherin as I would put Dumbledore in there. There's really only one suitable place for you and that, of course is GRYFFINDOR!"

I grinned and began to take the hat off. As I did though, the hat murmured a few last words. "As if there was any doubt…"

I smiled at those words and walked over to sit next to Sirius, who was smiling at me. I sat down and gave him a congratulatory pat on the back. A smile flashed across his face and he burst into random laughter.

"What?" I asked, wondering what I had missed.

Sirius didn't answer, just laughed. Bewildered I simply gazed at him until he calmed down enough to answer. "Guess what?" he said, excitement in his voice, even as he had to drop it down to a whisper as the next person began to get sorted.

Totally confused, I looked at him and shrugged. "What?" I inquired.

A smile lit up Sirius's face as he responded. "I'm in Gryffindor."

For a moment I simply stared at my friend, wondering what the point of such an obvious statement was. Then I began laughing, so glad that we were together. Sirius started laughing again as well. It didn't matter that we were completely interrupting an important sorting and were getting angry glares. It didn't matter that reality would hit once again as Sirius's parents discovered what had happened. All that mattered was the here and now. Tomorrow would bring its own problems, but until then, why bother? It was all just one more trivial part of life that had to be dealt with, but why not procrastinate? And in the meantime laugh. Laugh as if you won't be able to tomorrow. However, I could see in his laugh that it was just an escape route from the prolonged hurtful words that were bound to come. And that was just fine.

A.N. Alright, I'm sorry that took so long, but…Star Wars Episode III man. I had to do homework so I could go to the midnight showing and that sucked up all of my time. And then of course the actual seeing it and then the recovering the next day. Oh my goodness, if you see any movie EVER, see that one. It's awesome. I loved it. Anyways, please review and go see Star Wars.


	6. Bellatrix

Chapter 6

(Sirius's pov)

Throughout the feast, I was continually getting the feeling of being watched. Normally I didn't care. Screw the world, right? Alright, maybe not. After all, I'm only eleven and don't really think like that yet. Right? Of course not. Anyways, after a while, being stared at gets annoying. Who can blame them though? A Black. In Gryffindor. I must have been the first one in centuries, if ever. I was setting Black history! And being very egotistical in the process.

Next to me, James sat eating to his heart's content. Apparently the sorting had no effect on him whatsoever. Then again, I wasn't thinking of the circumstances. Potters were born to be put in Gryffindor, just like Blacks were born to be put in Slytherin. Oops, I broke that rule too. I sighed quietly. I was in such an ironic and sarcastic mood that nothing I was thinking was really making sense. Everything led back to "hey, I'm in Gryffindor…now what do I do?".

Thinking of the consequences that were sure to befall me made me cringe. Well, not physically, but inwardly I was cringing a lot. I did not like to be yelled. Heck, no one I know does. And while I'm used to it, it doesn't mean I like it. Thus is my life. I was pretty sure that I could count on a Howler arriving within the next 24 hours.

Across from me, the short pudgy boy called Peter was talking to Remus. Remus appeared bored as he inhaled his food. Seriously, it was almost as if he had not eaten for days. Which, judging by his scrawny, unhealthy appearance, could be the case. Either way, they were discussing their family lineage. Peter was rambling on about how he was a pureblood. Remus was being silent.

"What's your last name?" I asked randomly in a lull of their conversations. Or rather, Peter's ramblings.

Peter looked up at me, a strange expression on his face. Immediately I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. That kind of question was way too Black-like. Now he probably assumed that I actually cared whether or not he was rich. Which he wasn't. I knew that already, but I was curious as to how far down the social ladder he was. I wasn't, however, expecting an answer. James looked up and glanced over at me, looking baffled by my question.

I was about to go back to my own little world of self-pity when Peter opened his mouth and answered. "My last name's Pettigrew. And just because I don't have as much money as the Black family doesn't mean I'm not as good as you!"

I looked up, surprised. So he had inferred what I thought he would. He thought I was no better than the Blacks. That I cared more for blood purity and wealth than personality and friendship. Hmm, well, he was wrong. "I know," I responded. "I was just wondering. Goodness, one would think it's a crime to want to know their housemate's last name. Next time I won't ask," I replied, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see James smile as he turned back to his own plate of food.

(James's pov)

"_Whew,"_ I thought to myself as I turned back to my dinner. That was too close. Sirius had come way too close to sounding like a Black for my taste. I'm sure he realized that or else he wouldn't have responded like he did. Oh well. I'd have to warn him about such "innocent" questions. For anyone else, they might be, but coming from a Black…well, there were consequences. At least if you were a Black in Gryffindor.

The meal progressed steadily and I continued to eat constantly. I couldn't help it. the food all around me was very tasty. I hadn't tasted something like that since…well, now that I thought about it, I've never eaten something this good. _"Sorry Mom_," I thought unconsciously. For some odd reason I felt that I was betraying her in finding better tasting food.

As I was reaching for the dessert that had randomly appeared a few inches away from my water/pumpkin juice goblet, Sirius poked me in the arm. I sighed impatiently, because it was cake man, and turned to Sirius first. He noticed my irritated glare and had the decency to look sheepish. That didn't last long though as he nodded towards the Slytherin table.

Bellatrix Black was staring at Sirius from across the hall with a deadly expression on her face. Fear filled me instantly for my new friend. I didn't even have a good reason. That expression though was absolutely terrifying. It was then that I realized what Sirius's home life must have been like. And now I was getting a vague idea about what his life _would_ be like. Undoubtedly his family would dislike where he was sorted. And that probably meant unpleasant behavior. And glancing at Sirius's face, I could tell he realized it too.

(Sirius's pov)

The look she was giving me was enough to make me want to ask for a resorting. Almost, anyways. I liked being in Gryffindor too much to want to be resorted. But I could see my inevitable fate in Bellatrix's hate filled eyes. I was going to suffer at my family's hands for a long time and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I looked at James and I knew that he understood.

For one of the first times in my life I felt vulnerable. Really vulnerable. He could see my family life right here in Bellatrix's face. In the attitudes of the other disappointed Slytherins. And I was afraid. He knew too much. James Potter could hurt me within a second if he wanted to. He knew my biggest weakness. He knew my biggest worry. He knew my biggest fear. I feared weakness. And here it was. Laid out for him to see and observe.

He turned to me and shot a forced grin over at me. I could see that he was horrified at his sudden discovery. Trying to calm the situation, I grinned back at him. I knew that my smile was just as forced as his.

I knew that I had to lessen the tensions. The atmosphere was way too serious for my likings. Something to change the topic. Something to change the topic. Something to change-cake! "Hey James," I said, nodding over to the dessert on his right. "Want to pass me that chocolate cake?"

(James pov)

"Hey James." Sirius's voice jolted me from my thoughts of his terrible horrible life. Of course, I was probably, hopefully, over imagining things. One can only hope. I tuned into Sirius and glanced at him. "Want to pass me that chocolate cake?"

I looked at him as if he was insane. I had just been reaching for a slice and he had the nerve to ask for one. After distracting me from my happy eating, he had the audacity to poke me and demand a slice of cake. And it was then that I realized how stupid my thoughts were sounding. Oh the audacity? Oh dear.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled softly. Sirius looked at me expectantly, looking eager and hopeful. All for a piece of cake. "Well? Am I gonna have to get it myself or are you gonna be a pal and help out?"

I cracked. Like an egg. Cake. I like cake. And he wanted cake. I wanted cake. I laughed and laughed. A pleased look came over Sirius's face as he got the wanted result. A temporary distraction, but a very much appreciated one. And as I carefully got a piece of cake for him, I happened to glance over at Bellatrix again. She was still glaring, but it didn't have the same impact. Who cared? Better a Gryffindor and scorned forever than a Slytherin and adored. Right? Of course. And for some odd reason, I knew I didn't even have to ask Sirius to make sure he agreed. I could see it in his lit up grey eyes. In his wide smile. And most importantly in his laugh.

A.N. I was feeling really weird when I wrote this chapter. Sorry for the delay. I…well, I kinda fried my power supply and had to get it replaced. rolls eyes go figure, right? Anyways, I'm back now. Cheers! Please review. Reviews make me happy.


	7. Stars and Ideas

Chapter 7

(James's pov)

I stared around at my new home in mild disinterest. It would have helped if I was somewhat awake. Of course, as fate would have it, I was half asleep so I could not appreciate the luxury around me. Judging at how my new housemates were falling onto their chosen beds, they were too.

I sat down on the edge of my bed and slowly took off my shoes. They felt too heavy on my6 feet and I had to strain to pick up my feet. On the bed next to me, it looked like Sirius was sharing my problems. Remus and Peter were both already in bed, their curtains drawn and their gentle, rhythmic breathing could be heard.

I smiled slightly and law down in my bed. I turned my gaze to where Sirius sat on his bed, staring out the window. Moonlight shone through the window and bathed him in fluorescent light. He sat really still, his eyes intent on the night sky.

I lay in my bed, completely silent and transfixed by the sight. He looked so pensive and tired. A strange look also crossed his face once in a while. It was a look of loneliness, one that told how really lost he was. It struck me how weird it must be for him to be in the Gryffindor house. With him being from a Slytherin family and all, anyways.

As I was unconsciously staring at Sirius, a soft sigh escaped his lips. "You know," he muttered softly, without turning to look at me, "I'm named after one of those stars. That one over there, specifically."

He pointed over towards the Forbidden Forest. I sat up in my bed to stare over to where he was pointing. It shone in the sky dimly, somewhat belittled by the larger, brighter stars in the sky. Yet it still sat there, looking proud in a humble kind of way. No matter what happened around the star, it would do its job. It was proud to just be itself. I glanced over at Sirius who was still entranced in his star. I suddenly realized that the star fit Sirius perfectly.

He must have felt my gaze again because a small smile began to light up his face more than the moon possibly could. "Am I that good-looking?" he asked in a teasing voice.

I smiled and shrugged, looking out the window again. Without even realizing it, I got up and walked over to sit next to my new friend. As I sat down next to Sirius, he turned to look at me, mild humor spread across his face. "Well…this is certainly an incredibly screwed up way to start a school year," he said, laughing ever so slightly as he turned to gaze at me. His piercing grey eyes stared into my hazel eyes.

I was confused by what he said. Screwed up? So far the year had been excellent. Of course, it was only the first day and I had gotten sorted into the correct house, but…hey. That could have been taken terribly offensively. Did he regret meeting me? I gazed at him and realized that he was talking about the situation. I was pretty sure he was glad that I was his friend. I was certainly glad that he was mine.

Sirius gazed over at me, a small smile on his face. "This is going to be an awesome year!" he said, sounding excited. I was amazed and flabbergasted. He could go from being melancholy and pensive to silly and ecstatic in moments. It made me smile.

"How do you figure?" I asked, a little bit shocked by the transition. I was still entranced by the star that shone in the sky.

Sirius shrugged and turned away with a mischievous and secretive smile on his face. "Well, remember how we both said that we enjoy pranks and causing trouble when we were on the train?"

I nodded, tearing my gaze away from the sky again to stare at Sirius with slight confusion. I had a feeling I knew where this was going and I wasn't sure whether or not it was good.

Sirius grinned again and continued on with his brilliant idea. "Well, I figure if we try, we could end up being the most mischievous students that Hogwarts has ever seen!"

(Sirius pov)

It was a far-fetched idea I know, but it sounded like a lot of fun. I have always loved causing trouble, though causing mischief in my house was like committing suicide. Alright, maybe not so drastic, but it gets the point across. Anyways, I was afraid to do anything that even resembled a prank in the slightest bit in my house. I'm not even sure what the consequences would be, but I was positive that they would not be to my liking or benefit.

I glanced over at James. He seemed to be mulling over my brilliant idea. I couldn't tell whether or not he liked it or if he thought it was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. I was willing to bet on the latter, but I was hoping he wouldn't mind partaking in trouble-making with me.

While he thought over my proposition, I glanced back up to the star that I was named after. I had always known that it was star, and I liked it. Sure it wasn't the brightest star in the night sky, but I wasn't the brightest person in the entire earth's population. So, it all made sense. Right? Of course, I guess the world always looks simpler to the eyes of an eleven year old. But, unlike the many stars that surrounded it, my star looked like it was going to burn out someday soon. Well, maybe not too soon, but it didn't have the same, healthy appearance that the other stars had.

In some way, I think it was kind of predicting what my future would be like. I could assume that I would be surrounded by bright, earth-shattering people, like my star, but I would also have an impact. Maybe large, possibly not. It didn't matter. It was just a comforting thought. For some odd reason, I could see James fitting into one of those "bright, earth-shattering people" category. I hoped so.

"Alright," James said, bringing my gaze and attention back to him with one simple word. "I've made up my mind. And Sirius Black, I think you are the most brilliant person I have ever met. Ever! We're going to go down in Hogwarts' history! I can see it now!"

I chuckled gently at that and nodded ever so slightly. I knew he couldn't resist my awesome idea. After all, I am Sirius Black. But right then, Sirius Black was falling asleep quickly, regardless of the position that I was in.

"Um…James?" I began, breaking off into a yawn. He glanced at me and yawned as well.

Looking over at the clock, he raised his eyebrows and sleepily replied, "I'm thinking bed sounds good?"

I smiled and nodded before getting up and sliding into my bed and pulling the covers around me. James did the same and smiled over at me.

(James pov)

I lay down in my bed, suddenly remembering how exhausted I was. One wouldn't think that could be something a person could forget, but I'm really starting to think that I'm just special like that. Ha ha ha. Wow, now I even sound like a loony. Time to sleep I think.

I looked over at Sirius to see that he hadn't pulled his curtains shut. He remained with his eyes half closed staring out the window.

"Why aren't you closing your curtains?" I asked. I didn't close mine for practical reasons. I could get really claustrophobic in new places that were closed off. Closing the curtains would pretty much be the death of me. And considering I don't mind living, I'll leave them open.

Sirius turned to look at me and smiled a quick, quirky smile. "If I close the curtains then a boogeyman could attack me and no one would know! So I just leave them open in order to avoid such…occurrences."

Sirius smiled and began to laugh as I burst into laughter as well. It was such a strange excuse without even a chance of truthfulness. And it was funny. However, I had a feeling there was some amount of truth in his excuse, just not involving the boogeyman. And as we rolled over and fell into a deep sleep, each of us dreaming our own dreams, I couldn't help but realize that it was in his laugh that I discovered one more of Sirius Black's many layers.

A.N. ok, I hate excuses as to why people haven't updated in weeks. But I've actually got a good one and it can all be said in one word. Finals. Lol, now that that's over, I can apologize, as you to review and then ask an opinion.

Should I skip a few years or should I go all the way through the first year and then the rest of the years? Take into consideration that I'll have many mind blanks doing all the years of Hogwarts (but I probably will anyways). Also, it probably won't be as well written. As such I'll need ideas from you guys. But if you think I should skip a few years…who knows. It still might be crappy. Anyways, thanks, sorry, and review. Laterz!


	8. Pranks

Chapter 8

(James pov)

The next morning, I woke up in the strangest position. My right arm was over my head and I was lying slightly on my left hand. I was on my side, facing towards Sirius's bed with my blanket tangled around my legs. Grunting, I began to untangle myself from my bed and, after a few minutes, managed to sit up and examine the room clearly.

Remus's bed's curtains were open and he was no where to be seen. Peter was still fast asleep in his bed with the curtains half drawn. Sirius was lying in his bed, making interesting faces as the sun shone on his face. I smiled and stretched out my arms, sighing as I felt all the muscles in my arm loosen. Standing up, I tiptoed over to my sleeping friend, kneeling beside him for the right moment to pounce.

In his sleep, Sirius snuggled deeper into his bed, apparently enjoying his sleep. I smiled again and watched him for a moment. This was most likely going to be a bad day for him, considering he was probably going to face a lot of ridicule from each house. Well, maybe not the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, but I was certain that the Slytherins would have fun mocking my new friend. _"Oh well,_" I thought, _"at least he'll have a good morning. With me jumping on top of him!" _

With thought, I prepared myself to jump onto my sleeping friend. As I was about to, though, the sleeping boy spoke. "Don't you dare, James Potter," he muttered, rolling over and blinking his eyes open, wincing as the bright light hit his eyes. Stretching his arms out, he turned to face me with a small smile on his face. His hair was all tousled and he still looked half-asleep.

"How'd you know I was going to jump on you?" I asked, standing up and looking at him, mildly disappointed. It was unfair. I think of a brilliant plot and he already knows what I'm going to do. _"This better not be a frequent occurrence,_" I thought bitterly.

Sirius just smiled and swung his legs out from bed. "You were breathing too loudly," he said mysteriously. "Rule number one, don't let your prey know that you're about to attack. It doesn't work."

He walked to the bathroom after he said this, leaving me pondering a better way to strike. As he closed the door, I shouted after him, "But you were asleep! I didn't think I would have to be quiet!"

Sirius poked his head out from behind the door, shaking his head in mock concern and distraught. "Rule number two. Don't assume too much. Always expect things to go badly and have a back-up plan ready." SLAM. He closed the door again, leaving me to think over his words. A smile lit up my face.

That was it!

(Sirius pov)

I don't know why I randomly decided to give James a lesson in deceit and trickery. Perhaps because he was so pathetic that it was hard to watch. Well, he was a beginner. Just because I didn't actually prank anyone in my family or anywhere near the house, didn't mean I didn't actually _plan_ pranks. And because I couldn't actually execute them, I had plenty of time to make them flawless. And then to make the back-up plans flawless.

I smiled as I pulled out my toothpaste and began to brush my teeth. Today was going to be a good day, I could feel it. Yeah, sure I was going to get ridiculed by possibly everyone in the school, but that didn't matter. That wasn't what was making it a good day. The fact that I could walk around with a friend for the first time in years made it a good day. The fact that I would sit and eat breakfast and chat about things of little importance with a person like James Potter made it a good day. Who cared about a Howler from my mum? Who cared about the Slytherins' scathing insults? I got to face them all with a new friend!

I laughed at myself. And I was calling _James_ pathetic? My mom was right. I do need to see a shrink.

(James pov)

_"Teehee,"_ I thought gleefully as I stared at my newest prank. Not only would it shock Sirius, but it would also show him that I am not as inept at pranking a person as he might think I am. The trap was set so he'd come out of the bathroom, step in a certain place and then a pail of water that I had so cleverly levitated would fall on his head.

Alright, it wasn't the most original prank that I had ever come up with, but I was short of time and actually was really hungry. I was just waiting for Sirius to come out so I could use the bathroom. And while I was waiting I just happened to flip through the Charms book and find a levitating spell.

I smiled as I imagined Sirius stepping out and getting soaked by the water. It was gonna be good.

Just then the door opened and Sirius stepped out, looking wide awake and cheery. "Hurry up, I'm hungry!" he urged me as he stepped to the side of the door, right to the side of my prank. I gaped at him in horror. How…why…what…hey! It wasn't fair! He smiled and glanced up at my pathetic prank.

"Rule number three," he began, watching the pail of water somewhat cautiously. "Use the element of surprise to your advantage. Although I did not step where you wanted me to step, had you let the water fall I would have been equally surprised and most likely would have fallen backwards and caused a very funny sight for you to laugh at later. Now, you have nothing but a bucket of water floating above your head."

I stared at him and then at my bucket. "Fine," I mumbled as I gathered up clothing to wear. "I'll be back out in a minute."

"But aren't you going to-" Sirius began but cut himself off shortly. I turned back to look at him, somewhat befuddled. Sirius Black was most certainly one of the weirdest people I'd ever met and, I admit, was pretty good at pranks. I sighed, of course, he's not as good as me. I smiled as I began to brush my teeth. No one was better than me at pranks.

(Sirius pov)

I was staring back and forth from the closed bathroom door to the floating bucket of water. "_What are the odds he'll be so gullible?_" I wondered as I stared at it. _"I wonder..." _

(James pov)

I was starving. Time for breakfast. Food was most definitely sounding like the best thing that could have ever been created! I smiled as I opened the bathroom door. Sirius was sitting on his bed looking fairly nonchalant. I looked at him in mild concern before stepping towards him.

Only to be met with a huge bucket of water splashing over my head. I staggered back and looked over at my friend in shock as he laughed uncontrollably on his bed. After a minute he seemed to get his breath back.

"Rule number four," he said, gasping for breath as he laughed. "Never underestimate your best friend to become your worst enemy when it comes to pranks. In a prank war, there is no mercy, only devastating humiliation. And you, my friend, have experienced that. I suggest you go dry off."

I turned on my heel, trying to ignore the water dripping into my shoes. Why the little…ok, that was funny. Unfortunately, it looked as though I had met my match when it came to pranks. _"Oh well," _I thought, trying to cheer myself up as I dried my arms before pulling on a new tee-shirt. _"At least I'm learning from the best."_ I chuckled to myself as I toweled my hair completely dry. That was pretty good. I'd have to learn what the rest of the rules were before I'd feel safe falling asleep in my dorm with him, though. I chuckled again as I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

A.N. I got tired with the whole "in his laugh" thing. So screw that. Thanks for all of your input. As for replies…well…thanks you guys. It means a lot to me. So if you wouldn't mind reviewing I'd be most happy. Until later, thanks.


	9. Letters

Chapter 9

(James pov)

After I had changed-again-Sirius and I head down to the Great Hall. Of course, that's easier said than done, considering Hogwarts is huge and it is only our first day. So after many detours, we managed to get down to the Great Hall before breakfast ended. I honestly don't know how we managed it, but I couldn't really care less. If I had been hungry before, I was starving now.

Sirius, who was standing next to me, was still chuckling at his prank under his breath. I almost reached out to hit him, but restrained myself as a professor walked by. Considering our families were enemies, I thought it would give the wrong impression should I randomly decide to start beating on my friend. I smiled slightly at the idea before sitting down next across from Remus and Peter who were both eagerly eating.

"Hello," I said, smiling slightly as I began to spoon food onto my plate. Breakfast was my favorite meal of the day so I got a lot of it. I mean, who could resist eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns? They're just awesome!

Next to me, Sirius looked at the food with mild distaste on his face. A confused look flashed upon my face but looked back to Remus as he smiled and waved at me in return to my greeting. "Did you sleep well?" he asked as he took a bite of his eggs.

I shrugged. "It's kinda hard to not sleep well here. The beds are so nice and soft. They made me seriously happy."

Remus laughed at that and took a sip of his juice. Peter looked like he was going to comment but he appeared to chicken out and turned his gaze back to his own plate shyly. I smiled ever so slightly at that.

"So…" I began, starting to eat and start a conversation at the same time. I really wanted to get to know these two boys, seeing as they were going to be my roommates for the next seven years.

"So…?" questioned Remus, a smile blossoming over his face at my uncertainty of making new friends. He turned to Sirius and his smile faded. "How are you?" he asked him, an odd flashing across his face.

Sirius looked up from his near empty plate and smiled half-heartedly. "I'm good, you?"

Remus shrugged and turned away from him ever so slightly. I glanced at my friend and saw the hurt look flashing across his face. It was only there for a moment though, as it was quickly wiped away and replaced with a small smile. "Who are your parents, Remus?" I asked, wondering if Remus was pureblood or not, although I was pretty sure he wasn't.

Remus sighed in frustration. "My mum was a witch and my dad was a muggle. I'm not a pureblood, nor do I really want to be."

I looked down at my plate and took another bite of eggs. That would explain some things. Naturally, Remus probably assumed that Sirius was just like the rest of his family. _Oh well_, I tried to think optimistically, _at least he's not so openly hostile._ I was about to open my mouth to defend Sirius when owls began swooping into the Great Hall to deliver the mail.

I eagerly scanned for my mom's owl to swoop in with a letter and I quickly managed to spot it. I also happened to see an owl carrying a red letter that looked suspiciously like a Howler. And it was conveniently heading this way. I glanced over at Sirius as my mom's owl landed on the table in front of me. His face had a nervous look on it and for a moment, fear flashed through his grey eyes. I quickly looked away, not wanting him to see the concern on my face. I was yet sure about how he responded to open concern and care.

Sure enough, moments later, the owl with the Howler landed in front of Sirius. He looked at it as if it were about to explode-which it technically was-and then gingerly opened it. Moments later a loud screeching voice could be heard throughout the hall.

_SIRIUS BLACK! HOW DARE YOU DISGRACE US LIKE THIS, YOU UNGRATEFUL TWIT! WE SEND YOU TO HOGWARTS EXPECTING YOU TO FOLLOW THE BLACK TRADITION AND INSTEAD YOU GET PUT IN GRYFFINDOR. GRYFFINDOR! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH YOU HAVE DISGRACED US IN THE PERIOD OF A MOMENT? NO, I DON'T THINK SO. YOU ARE POSSIBLY THE WORSE SON IMAGINABLE. I JUST BET YOU'RE SITTING THERE BEFRIENDING ALL OF THE MUDBLOOD SCUM IN GRYFFINDOR. YOU DISGUST ME. AND YOUR FATHER. DON'T BOTHER COMING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. I DON'T WANT YOUR BROTHER CORRUPTED AS WELL. SCUM…_

The Howler ended abruptly and burst into the traditional flames, leaving a stunned hall staring at a stunned Sirius Black. I too quickly glanced at him before averting my gaze elsewhere. Remus and Peter were both concentrating on their breakfast, acting as if they hadn't heard a word, yet screaming that they had at the same time. Sirius just sat there dumbfounded. I sighed softly and glanced at my plate. Only to be met by an irritable owl.

I grinned apologetically at her as I carefully took my mother's letter off of her leg. After eating a bit of my breakfast, she flew off. I watched her with a small smile on my face. Before opening my letter, I turned back to Sirius. He was still sitting shell shocked so I opened my letter and quickly read it.

_Dear James,_

_I'm so proud of you honey. Although I always knew that you would be in Gryffindor. I'm sure you'll make me proud there. _

_How is school so far? Are you making any new friends? I'm sure you must be the most popular boy there already. I know you haven't been to any classes yet, but when you do, how are they? Do you like your teachers? I hope so, considering they will be your teachers for the next seven years. _

_I miss you so much. The house is so quiet without you around here making things blow up. I am eagerly awaiting Christmas break. So is your father _(I rolled my eyes at that lie. My father never missed me. He wasn't home enough to miss me). _I expect an update on your classes and friends. Remember, be careful. The Slytherins are not friendly towards Gryffindors. _

_Until Christmas, _

_I love you, _

_Mom _

I finished my letter with tears forming in my eyes. I angrily choked them back and turned to look at Sirius who was now picking at a bit of fruit on his plate. He still hadn't eaten anything.

"Are you alright, mate?" I asked him softly, not wanting to offend the dark-haired boy.

He nodded as he looked up at me. "Of course. I was expecting a Howler. Heck, I'm lucky that worse didn't happen."

"Well why aren't you eating anything? You're not anorexic or anything are you? Because you know that's not healthy. "

Sirius looked at his near empty plate and then at me, a shocked and amused look on his face. "Why would you think I'm anorexic?" he asked.

"Well, you have hardly touched anything here and it all tastes awesomely. One can infer that you have some eating disorder." I could feel Remus's eyes on me and looked over to see him watching in amusement.

Sirius just laughed and shook his head in wonder. "No, it's nothing like that," he said before proceeding to explain. "I just really hate breakfast and I don't understand why others like it. It's so disgusting. I mean, eggs? Ew. And sausage and bacon. Pig…pork. I think not. Hash browns would be good if they hadn't been fried in a crap load of oil. As such, I think I'll pass on the breakfast items at this table. I'll eat fruit, but don't expect me to eat much more than that right now."

I nodded in complete understanding yet total confusion. He didn't like breakfast? That was a scary thought. I lived for breakfast yet he hated it. What an interesting turn of events. So Sirius Black was a picky eater. This could prove to be fun. I began to chuckle at that idea and soon Sirius joined me. As if he could hear my thoughts, he leaned towards me and whispered in my ear, "No pranks involving food. I could be allergic to this stuff."

At my look of horror, he burst into laughter, his warm, barking laugh. The look of horror quickly faded and I joined him in laughter. So this wasn't the best way to start a day. First I was pranked and soaked and then he was yelled at and insulted. We'd get better at morning procedures. Until then, why not laugh?

A.N. Thanks for reading. Would you guys prefer more of James's pov or more of Sirius's pov. I'm not sure which one to write in and either way, it's fun. Review and give an opinion and thanks.


	10. A Red Haired Distraction

Chapter 10

(Sirius pov)

Although I would never openly admit it, my parents' Howler hurt me much more than I thought possible. Sure I didn't actually _like _my family. They were too evil for their own good, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to be loved by them. After all, parents were _supposed _to love their kids. That's just the way the world turns.

I could tell that James was uncertain as to how to react to my Howler. It seemed that he was being forced to get to know my family, without my wanting him to. I liked being mysterious, I liked no one knowing about my family, although most of the wizarding community did. They just didn't know what happens _inside_. I almost laughed, but I managed to suppress it.

Our first class was Charms with Ravenclaw. I followed James, Remus, and Peter into the room, glancing around in mild interest. Professor Flitwick had the strangest things in his room. I looked at some of the posters hanging on the wall before taking my seat next to James. As I sat down, Professor Flitwick himself entered the room and climbed up into his seat. I had a feeling that he was sitting on many books, considering he was much to short to be that height by just sitting in the chair. I glanced at James and could see a smirk on his face. He was probably thinking the same thing I was.

As Professor Flitwick began class by taking role, I looked around at my classmates.

"Black, Sirius," Professor Flitwick called out, briefly distracting me. I called out "Here" before returning to my examination. Although as I turned away from the professor, I noticed strange look on his face as he read my name again before moving on. I sighed softly. _This better not happen all day,_ I thought bitterly. I did not want to get double takes all day simply because I was the first Black in history to be in Gryffindor. Ok, maybe it is understandable, but that didn't make it enjoyable.

I glanced over at Remus, who was sitting on my other side next to Peter. He seemed to be intently focusing on Professor Flitwick. As I continued looking at him though, he glanced over at me. A semi-hostile look was in his eyes, but it quickly washed away and he smiled softly before turning his attention back to the professor. I chuckled slightly.

I wasn't yet sure how Remus felt towards me. One could infer that he thought that I was just some pureblood psycho like the rest of my family. One who had mistakenly been placed in Gryffindor. I didn't like this particular opinion, seeing as it definitely wasn't good for me. However, I think the Howler helped a bit though. it made me seem more…human, I guess. He seemed to be slowly warming up to me. He did smile after all. I figured Remus Lupin would be a good friend.

On his other side, Peter sat doodling on a piece of paper. I watched him for a moment before turning my head away in mild disgust. It wasn't that I didn't like Peter. No, it wasn't that. It was just his…attitude, his dependency, his…lack of intelligence. Not to mention the fact that I didn't trust him any farther than I could throw him. Which, judging by his chubbiness, is saying something.

I sighed softly to myself before turning back to Professor Flitwick, who was finally finished with the role. I hated it when I did that. When I judge other people before I actually know them. For all I know, Remus could simply be shy and not have anything against my family lineage. Peter could have been the most brilliant person in the room (although I highly doubt it).

Assumptions were some of the few things I actually hate. They're hurtful and show no intelligence. I knew firsthand how painful assumptions could be. I had so far gotten a lot. Just because I was a Black didn't mean that I was evil. Of course, everyone just assumed that I was. I laughed silently at that thought. I would prove them all wrong though.

(James's pov)

Charms proved to be relatively boring. We sat there, listened to him tell us why charms were important, and then sat there some more. The most exciting thing that happened was that Sirius decided to start levitating things in random places with a spell that we didn't even know yet. Professor Flitwick seemed to be completely oblivious of this and continued teaching while the students chuckled at the floating objects.

The class couldn't have ended any sooner and as soon as we were dismissed, Sirius and I had leaped out of our seats and were rushing to the door. We waited outside the door for Remus and Peter. They, however, were taking forever. I decided that now was a good chance to make sure that my friend was alright.

"Hey, Sirius, are you alright? I mean, after that Howler?" I asked awkwardly. I didn't know how to comfort people. It just wasn't one of my strong attributes.

Sirius glanced over at me and forced a smile. "I'm fine. Why shouldn't I be? I mean, it's not like I actually care what my family thinks."

I could see through that charade easily. He wanted his family to approve of him as much as I wanted my father to approve of me. But he wouldn't admit it. He, like me, was too prideful. Which isn't always a good thing. But I could tell that the Howler had deeply hurt him. I couldn't imagine my mom, or even my dad, saying those kind of things to me. But I wasn't placed in the wrong house.

Remus and Peter finally came out of the classroom and both looked shocked to find Sirius and me waiting patiently for them. "You didn't have to wait," muttered Remus as he walked between me and Sirius. Peter was walking by Sirius and was being silent.

"Yeah, but we wanted to," I said smoothly, and smiled at him. Sirius was smiling at my suaveness. "After all, we are so nice, handsome, and generous…" Remus openly laughed at that and I grinned at him.

I was about to continue to make myself sound good when a girl with red hair and emerald green eyes walked by. I was automatically entranced. I stopped in mid-step and turned around, beginning to follow her like some puppy. She didn't seem to notice and soon went into the girls' bathroom. I stopped outside the door and stood staring up at it dejectedly. Separated by a door to a place no man dared go before…

Behind me I could hear Sirius's loud laughter filling the hallway. I turned to find Remus trying to hide a smile and Sirius doubled over in laughter. Peter was no where to be found. I glanced at my two new friends and allowed myself to crack a smile. I had just completely lost all senses as that girl walked by. That girl that I didn't even know. That was really stupid. I laughed slightly and slung my arms around Remus and Sirius, dragging them to the Great Hall. Sirius was still shaking with laughter and Remus was still trying not to burst into laughter like Sirius. I laughed at the two of them. This was going to be an interesting seven years.

A.N. Thanks for the reviews. It makes me sad! I started off with a lot of reviews and now it seems that people have either stopped reading or they just don't review anymore. It's really kinda bumming. Um...should I have one more chapter in the first year or skip to some other random year? Just asking. Anyways, thanks for reading, and please review. Later.


	11. Problems 1

Chapter 11

(James pov)

The first half of the year went by fairly quickly. It turns out I'm very good in all of my classes (as if there would be any doubt). Sirius and Remus were also in the top of our class, with Sirius right behind me or occasionally ahead of me and Remus right behind him. Peter was…well, he was still in our class. Charms and Transfiguration were my two favorite classes. Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions were Sirius's best classes and Remus seemed to shine in all of them. Just not to the level that Sirius and I did.

By the time Christmas came along, all four of us had been able to make names for ourselves as the mischief makers of Hogwarts. Whenever there was a prank-like occurrence in the castle, teachers automatically screeched our names and threw us in detention. Whether or not we had actually done it. Although, to be fair, we usually were the cause of the aforementioned prank.

This Christmas, I was expected to go home, as my mom had asked me to earlier. Of course I was anxious to go home, I was just a little bit sad to be leaving my friend here all alone. Both Remus and Peter were also going home for the holidays. Sirius was still forbidden to even attempt to contact his family, as his mother had threatened him in a later letter and had reminded him that he was not to come home for holidays.

So it was with this weighing on my mind that I sat in the Common Room, staring at the dancing flames. If only there was a way to keep Sirius company and go home at the same time. As if he heard my thoughts from across the school, Sirius walked into the Common Room and walked over to me, sitting down in the seat across from the couch.

"Hey man," he said softly, looking over into the fire briefly before turning his gaze back to my face. "What are you tearing yourself apart about his time? Another brilliant prank or something more…serious?"

I looked at him, and was entranced by his eyes. The fire was glinting off of them and I could see the flames dancing in his eyes. Quickly, I shook myself out of it and returned to staring into the fireplace. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see a concerned expression flash across my friend's face.

"Come on, what's up? Did something happen?"

I shrugged. Might as well tell him the truth. "I don't want to leave you alone during the break. It seems…cruel."

Surprise immediately took over Sirius's face. _So much for being honest,_ I thought dully. "Why?" he asked, cocking his head to the side, waiting for an answer.

I shrugged again and turned to look at him. Suddenly, as if I had been struck been lightening, I got a brilliant idea. "Hey, why not come to my house over the holidays!" I proposed, standing up as I said it, shocked at how long it had taken me to think of that idea.

Sirius however, remained sitting and looked skeptical. "At your house?" he asked, looking worried now too.

"Sure," I exclaimed, "why not?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows, as if I had asked an entirely stupid question. "What does your mom think about me?"

As quickly as my excitement had come over me, it had evaporated. My mom didn't know about Sirius. She didn't know that I was friends with him. It wasn't as though I was ashamed of being his friend, it was just…well, Sirius _was _still a Black and as much as he was unlike his family, my mom would still only _hear_ the name Black. After all, she had been the one who had warned me about Sirius in the first place.

How would she react to my best friend? I sighed slightly and sat down next to Sirius. He looked over at me with questioning eyes. How would she react? I wasn't sure, and that's what bothered me.

(Sirius's pov)

I watched as my friend pondered my question. I thought his idea was a brilliant one! I didn't want to stay at Hogwarts alone anymore than I wanted to go to my own home. I didn't do well alone. I like having friends around too much, I like being around people who love me. Which was my fault, I know, but it hardly mattered. It was just my personality and I couldn't change that. But there was no one I could stay with.

When James had suggested his house I had been enthused and happy, but then I recalled that first day at the train station. I remembered his mom shooting me dark looks as she explained my family to her son. I was glad that her son had been able to give me a chance, but I wasn't sure how willing she would be. Not to mention his dad…

Finally James opened his mouth to speak. "She doesn't need to know until you're there," James said, nodding in satisfaction at his idea.

"What do you mean?" I asked, no confused. I wasn't sure how well that would go over. I had a feeling that should I just appear, she would dislike me even more than she would should she know that I was coming.

"Yeah, I'll just tell her in a letter that "a friend" is going to come spend the holidays with us. Sound good to you?"

I had to hand it to him. James Potter was very good at vague comments. And that one was certainly vague. And good. "I think it's a brilliant idea. If I were anyone else, though, would she mind having company?"

James shook his head. "No, and if she knew you, it wouldn't be a problem either. But she will and when she does know you, she'll adore you. Just like every bloody teacher in this bloody school."

I laughed slightly. That was a slight overstatement. I think that it was a love-hate relationship with the teachers. Oh well. It worked. It got me out of a lot of trouble that I probably should have gotten into.

"I'm gonna go write the letter," James said before standing up and leaving. I watched him leave and decided to go pack. After all, the train leaves bright and early tomorrow morning. I most certainly did not want to be running about at five in the morning throwing things that I needed into a trunk.

(James pov)

"Oh man, I hope this works," I muttered to myself as I finished writing the letter to my mom. It read:

_Hey mom, _

_Is it all right if I bring a friend home with me for Christmas break? I know that it's really short notice and that the train leaves tomorrow and you really can't answer, but he's still coming home with me. You see, he can't go home to his own family this break and all of our other friends are going home for the holidays too so he really doesn't have any other friends here who could keep him company. Sorry again that no matter you say it doesn't really matter. Sorry. _

_Just remember that you love me. And I love you too. _

_See you tomorrow…yeah. Tomorrow. _

_James _

I reread the letter and mentally slapped myself. That was the crappiest letter I have ever written. I just hoped that my mom wouldn't be furious. Of course, when she learned who my friend was…well, I didn't want to think about it.

I tied the letter to my owl's leg and sent her off, watching her fly into the distance and out of sight. I began to chuckle slightly. This was my life. Sitting here, taking care of one of my friends who was more than capable of taking care of himself, and hating my mother for her close-mindedness. I sighed and burst into hysterical laughter. I laughed until my sides hurt. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore.

Across the school, Sirius Black lay on his bed in his dormitory, pain filling his heart and tears streaming down his face…

A.N. I don't think that was good. Oh well. Stay tuned. Lol. please review. I really liked getting a lot of reviews last time. It made me incredibly…happy! Thanks a bunch you guys.


	12. Problems 2

Chapter 12

(Sirius's pov)

I spent most of the night alternating between crying and packing. It was so overwhelming. I was going home with James and was probably going to face ridicule and pain from a woman who didn't even know me. For some reason, it seemed worse than going to my own home. Although, I would probably only experience ridicule and pain there too. So either way my life was crap. In a good way, though.

The next morning we woke up about an hour before we were expected to board the train, which gave me the opportunity to run around to search for things that I probably forgot and then to race down to scarf down a quick breakfast. What surprised me was that James was still in bed when I got back up in the dormitory.

Remus was sitting on his bed reading a thick looking book when I rushed in. As I stood there, panting slightly, he looked up and smiled at me. "Do you think we should risk the beating and wake him up or shall we let him miss the train on his own?"

I laughed slightly. It was true. Waking up James Potter when he was fast asleep was about as good as suicide. But I had to wake him up. I really didn't want to get to the train station and be alone with his mom and try to explain that he missed the train because I had decided to let him sleep too long. So, cautiously, I began to walk over to his bed.

Pulling back the curtains, I was shocked to see that James was no where to be seen. I furrowed my eyebrows, completely confused. Where could James possibly be? I didn't see him get up this morning. But then again, I hadn't seen him go to bed the night before either. Which, now that I thought about it, was almost impossible, considering that I had been up really late packing and worrying.

"Erm, Remus…where is James?" I asked, turning around to face my friend. He shrugged and turned back to the book that he was reading. He looked unhealthy with his pale skin and tired appearance. It suddenly struck me that Remus hardly ever looked completely healthy. This sparked interest in my curious soul. Right then though, I had to find James before the train came.

(James's pov)

I'm not really sure how I fell asleep on the floor of the owlery, but I woke up covered in feathers and other less than pleasant items. I looked at my arms, disgust showing on my face, before I stood up carefully, falling over as my numb legs collapsed under my legs. Groaning, I stood, this time clutching to the fall.

"Curse my asleep legs," I muttered under my breath, starting to leave the owlery, still holding onto the wall for support.

Carefully I made my way down the stairs and towards the Gryffindor dormitory. It was a lot harder than I had thought. If being covered in owl droppings and feathers wasn't bad enough, I was completely disoriented and there was still no feeling in my legs. I sighed and continued on my way. _This is crap_, I thought somewhat bitterly as I came to a staircase that I needed to go up. _They should consider installing those muggle things…elevationers? Oh…whatever they're called. _

(Sirius pov)

Just as I left the common room and wandered around the hallway, I saw James walking towards me. Well, he wasn't really walking. It was more of a clinging-to-the-wall-crawling/walking motion. I raised my eyebrows at his appearance. He looked like he had slept under a tree that happened to be the home to several different birds. Most specifically owls. Then it hit me. The owlery.

Confusion must have flashed across my face because James just shook his head and muttered a quick "later" before walking into the common room. Left outside alone, I spun on my heel and followed my friend into the room. There was something wrong and I wasn't sure that I wanted to know what. Of course, my curious nature took over and I approached James while he was preparing to take a shower.

"What's wrong James?" I asked.

(James pov)

I suppose I couldn't really expect to get away without having to answer any questions. Sirius was too smart for that. Remus was too, but he wasn't nosy, considering I'm sure he hid his own secrets. But Sirius…he wouldn't let a person slip by with anything. If anyone had a secret, Sirius Black would find out what it was. It was simply his nature. When I asked him about it a while ago, he simply answered, "Blacks like to know what's happening around them. Some are just more…persistent than others."

But when Sirius followed me into our dormitory, I wasn't ready to answer any questions. I wasn't sure what the answers were myself. It was something I just really wanted to avoid right then. So when Sirius asked me what was wrong, I swiftly ignored him and the genuine concern in his voice. I turned away and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

_Ok, _I thought to myself as I turned on the water to take a really quick shower, _that was probably a lot harsher then I really needed to be. But at least it got the point across. _

(Sirius pov)

I stared at the door that had so nicely been shut in my face. Ok, slammed. Mixed feelings began to enter my mind, accompanied with doubt, but I quickly squashed it and walked over to sit on my bed.

By now, Remus was up and working on packing his own trunk. He had so few things that it didn't take too much time to pack his trunk. It made me really sad, watching him pack. I could tell that his family wasn't exactly wealthy by the state of his clothing, yet it was still heart-wrenching. To think that my family was so rich that we could probably buy England if we wanted to while his family probably struggled to just send their son to school with all of his school materials.

I sighed softly. Life definitely wasn't fair. Yet there wasn't much I could do about it. I knew that any offering of money would seem like charity to him and would most likely be unappreciated if not unaccepted. If I had learned anything from Remus in the past few months it was that what a person didn't have in money, it was made up in pride. I remembered that conversation (or reprimand) very well. I smiled slightly at the memory.

We had been sitting by the lake and I randomly had asked him about his family's financial problem. He had sat suddenly very still, and without looking at me, replied, "We don't have much money. That's no secret. But money isn't everything. Sure, it helps and it's always nice to have, but when it comes to what really matters…well, you sure can't buy that kind of stuff."

"Like what?" I had asked.

A small ghost of a smile had flitted across his face. "Love, family, friends, memories, pride…especially pride. What most poor people don't have in money, they make up in pride."

The sudden jarring of a door startled me out of my memory. James walked out toweling his hair dry. I was about to open my mouth to once again inquire as to what was wrong, but a quick glance at Remus convinced me otherwise. He was silently shaking his head fervently no. I decided to heed his advice for once. After all, Remus was better with the whole people relationship thing than I was.

"Are you ready to go?" asked James as he finished with his hair. Throwing the towel aside, he made his way over to his trunk and, after glancing around the room quickly, closed it with a snap.

I watched him avidly. Something was wrong…and I would find out what it was. After all, I am a Black. But James didn't need to know. So instead of prying, I answered, "I've been ready to go."

"Cheers!" James said with fake enthusiasm. It ended up sounding really funny and it caused me to start laughing. And it felt really good. After a night of tears, laughter just seemed to make the world a brighter place. James looked at me sheepishly before he chuckled softly. From his place at his trunk, Remus watched us both with an expression of amusement spread across his face. This made us both laugh harder.

And as our laughter began to die down, I looked up and met James's eyes. A happy light was shining out of them and I began to think nothing was wrong at all. Except for a brief flicker. I decided to ignore it for the moment because right then Peter walked in and the sight of us laughing for no reason surprised him for some reason. So his expression made us laugh harder. Something was wrong…I'd leave it alone for right now. Why not be happy when the situation presents itself?

A.N. Something is wrong. I don't know what. Anyone wanna give me a good idea? Because I'm running short of brilliant anythings. Anyways, thanks for reading/reviewing. Please review again! (No I haven't read the Harry Potter Book 6 yet.) lol, thanks.


	13. Home Kinda

Chapter 13

(James pov)

The train ride home was fairly uneventful. Peter kept on chatting about trivial, unimportant matters while the rest of us attempted to ignore him. Sirius once got so fed up with him that he pulled out some kind of tape and put it over his mouth, leaving us in silence for a few seconds before Peter began talking again, only this time muffled by the tape covering his mouth. Sirius groaned in exasperation while Remus put a hand to his head while rolling his eyes. I simply glared. I was so not in the mood to deal with anything that could be even remotely considered annoying. And Peter, when he was like this, was just annoying.

I could tell that Sirius was on edge, and I couldn't blame him. I was actually kind of afraid about how my mom would react. And my dad…that was a really scary thought. My dad had to fight the Blacks every single day at his job just to retain any sort of dignity. I remember many times when I was younger when he would come home fuming about something that the Blacks had said or done. I remember how my mom's face would light up in compassion and anger at the same time. Yes, Sirius Black would definitely cause a stir at home. I just wasn't sure for how long.

(Sirius pov)

The train ride seemed much too short. I was dreading this upcoming meeting with all of my heart. If I could, I would have jumped out of the train and raced back to Hogwarts as quickly as I could. If only I could avoid meeting Mr. and Mrs. Potter. I could remember all the times my dad would gloat about how he had managed to get the best of Mr. Potter again. I remembered my mom telling me about them in a bad example of a pureblood family, saying "This family is the worst. They have such potential but diminish it with their mudblood loving ways."

Yes, I was pretty sure that the Potters would not warm up to me immediately. Which I don't blame them at any level. I would probably react the same way. That didn't stop my stomach from twisting or my heart from pounding.

"You look like a nervous wreck," Remus said softly from across from me. I guess my nervous fear had started showing through. _Dang it_, I thought, somewhat frustrated. _Rule number three of the Black family doctrine broken. Never show emotion…especially negative emotion. Oops…_

(James pov)

As the train pulled into the station, I looked around for my mom or dad. I couldn't even think that they would both come to pick me up. They went by necessity and seeing as both of them picking me up made no difference, they would only come alone. I could tell that Sirius was thinking twice about coming with me, but the way I figured, it was better this way. Sure they would be mistrustful to begin with, but they would fall in love with Sirius. They had to. Everyone fell in love with Sirius at some point or another. It was the Black charm, I guess.

Once the train came to a complete stop, we all started gathering our items and then piling off of the train. Immediately, Peter found his mother waiting for him and moments later, Remus found his parents standing by the exit. After waving good bye to both of them, I began to search around for one of my parents.

After a short search, I managed to find my mom standing and talking to Natalie Dahlia's mother. Natalie was a Gryffindor first year. She was actually really intelligent and she hung out with Lily Evans… I smiled at the thought of the red head beauty. She had stayed at Hogwarts for the Christmas break. I would have asked why, but we're not exactly on speaking terms. It's more of a…well, it's getting to a healthy relationship.

I smiled slightly and grabbed Sirius's arm, dragging him forward to meet my mom. As I drew closer, she looked at me. Immediately a huge smile lit up her face. Suddenly I could see the pretty woman that she once must have been. Dropping Sirius's arm, I rushed forward and gave her a tight hug. Although I would never admit it out loud, I really missed her hugs. They were tight and warm, filled with love and devotion. I smiled as she held me close.

(Sirius pov)

Now was the moment. Mrs. Potter stood hugging her son tightly. Suddenly I was filled with such sorrow that I could hardly stand it. My mother had never done that. I couldn't get a hug out of her if I paid her for one. It wasn't the Black-like thing to do. And it was all about the appearances. Even in our own privacy. Like the other negative emotions, I quickly squashed my feelings of sorry and jealousy.

Eventually the two pulled apart and James and his mom turned to look at me. I could see it in her eyes immediately. Anger. Disliking. Resentment. The same things I saw in my mother's eyes from time to time. How coincidental.

James walked over to me and grabbed my arm again, bringing me closer to his mom. Warily I still kept my distance but still got closer. "Mom," James said softly, "I'd like you to meet Sirius Black."

I watched her mouth tighten slightly. _Ha_, I thought to myself. _She's restraining herself from saying anything. Nice._

"Hello, Mrs. Potter," I greeted, holding out my hand. "It's really great to meet you."

A dangerous flash went through her eyes, but she shook my hand nonetheless and muttered, "Hi Sirius. It's nice to meet you too. I'm very excited to have you staying for the break." She was lying through her teeth, literally. It was taking all her willpower to not put me back on that train and away from her family. Yep, way too much bad experience with my family.

"Well come along boys," she said and herded us out of the station. She spoke crisply and angrily. This was going to be a long Christmas break.

(James pov)

The meeting didn't go as I had hoped it would, though it went as expected. I couldn't possibly hope that my mom would immediately like Sirius. Heck, I hadn't immediately liked Sirius. Although I did pretty quickly. _Just give it a little bit of time. I'm sure in a day they'll love him_, I told myself firmly. I still didn't believe it.

I could see that Sirius was a bit shaken by the meeting. I know what he had been expecting, but I also knew what he had wanted. He wanted to be accepted. He wanted a chance. He wanted the benefit of a doubt. Unfortunately, my mom had had way too much experience with the Blacks and their usage of the dark arts.

"So, mom," I said as we settled down in the car. "Is dad going to be home?"

She nodded curtly. Yep, she was furious. _Just a little bit of time. They'll love him. They have to love him._

But she didn't stop at a short nod. Under her breath so that only I would hear, she said, "You'll have fun explaining this one to him. And for once, I'm not on your side. We'll discuss it later, when he's not around."

Yep…this was definitely bad. I loved Sirius as much as I would a brother, but he sure caused a lot of problems sometimes.

(Sirius pov)

I sat in the back seat of the car, sitting as still as I possibly could. I was afraid that any slight movement, any breath that was too loud, would somehow offend someone. As I looked out my window, examining the scenery, I suddenly realized what I had gotten myself into. _I have a bad feeling about this…_

A.N. Yeah…it gets better. For real. Anyways, please review and tell me if I was too harsh. Thanks for reading!


	14. Yelling

Chapter 14

(James pov)

The car ride home passed in quiet agony. My mother was fuming, Sirius was silent and upset, and I was about ready to cry. Well, not in the literal sense, but I was not eager for my father to get home. If my mom, who was usually the more open-minded one in my family, was so…stubborn, I could see no hope in my father.

Occasionally I would glance back at my distraught friend. He was sitting still, staring out the window dismally. His normally bright grey eyes were dulled and full of mild fright. He was probably thinking about what my father's reaction would be. He didn't know much about my dad, considering I seldom talked about him, but he could infer that my dad wasn't the nicest guy.

We pulled into the driveway of our house slowly. My mom was still trying to control her anger and Sirius was trying to hide his dismay at being so quickly judged. I sighed. This was definitely one of my better ideas.

(Sirius's pov)

Here I am, staying with my best friend for two weeks with a family that hates me. With a family that hates me without even _knowing_ me. This is going to be great fun.

We got out of the car and began lugging our trunks into the house. Mrs. Potter just abandoned us to bring in our own trunks and went inside her house. Well, small mansion would probably be a better description, but whatever. I assumed that she was going to go contact her husband and tell him about what her stupid son had done. That was going to be an unpleasant confrontation.

"Sorry, Sirius," James said as we pulled our trunks into the house. We were greeted by a house elf who immediately took the trunks from us and apparated them upstairs. I raised my eyebrows at this before turning back to address James.

"What are you sorry about? This beats being all alone back in the Gryffindor common room." Not by much, to be perfectly honest, but I don't like being alone. I always have the insane desire to be with people, whether or not they particularly like me. Although, I do prefer to be in the company of friends rather than foes.

James just sighed at my response and gestured for me to follow him up the stairs. As we walked up, I gazed around at the many pictures hanging on the walls. They all seemed so…pleasant. Every picture in my house had some kind of dark past. They all spoke of some inheritance or pureblood legacy.

He led the way up to a room. Pushing the door open, he stood aside to let me through. "This is our guest room. You could sleep in my room if you wanted to, but we either have to convince my mom to transfigure an extra bed or you'll have to sleep in my bed. Or you could sleep in here…either way, you get a bed. Hopefully."

I laughed slightly at his ramblings. "I think I'll stay in here. This seems like more of a sure thing."

James nodded and promptly left, explaining that he had to go unpack his own things quickly. This left me alone to unpack my own items and make myself at home in a house full of people who definitely did not like me. Well…at least right now. I was hoping that their feelings toward me would change eventually.

(James pov)

I didn't go unpack my things. I went downstairs to talk to my mom about the way she was treating Sirius. It wasn't _his _fault that he was a Black. It's not like he got chose the family that he was born into.

"Mom," I called out, as I reached the ground floor and walked into the kitchen. She was standing over the sink slicing an onion for violently than was needed.

"What, James?" she asked, frustration coursing through her voice. She looked up at me and glared ever so slightly before turning back to her onion.

"Um…how has it been around here since I've been gone?" I asked, deciding to lessen her bad mood a bit before adding to it.

"Things have been quieter, but other than that, nothing spectacularly unusual has occurred."

I nodded. She still sounded hostile, but the tension in her shoulders seemed to lessen ever so slightly. Just as I was beginning to open my mouth to comment on the onion that she was mutilating, she turned to look at me and moaned, "Why did you have to bring _him_, of all people, here? Couldn't you have chosen better friends, like I had asked? Couldn't you have paid attention when I said that he was a bad person and that you shouldn't be friends with him? What was so difficult about that?"

"The fact that he's not a bad person, Mom!" I exclaimed, growing tired of her assumptions. "He's an excellent friend. My best friend in fact, if I really had to pick. We have so much in common! He likes pranks, he's smart, he's got a great sense of humor." A dark haired head poked from around the kitchen door, signaling Sirius Black's arrival. I grinned over my mother's shoulder at him. He had most likely heard every word that I said. _Good,_ I thought.

Unfortunately, my mom didn't know that he was there and decided that she wanted to rant. "That may be so, James, but he is not to be trusted! Do you know anything about his family? Probably not! They're positively evil. They study the dark arts and engrave that type of dogma in their children's' brains. They practically breathe dark arts. It's just the type of family they are. They think they're so much better than everyone else simply because they're purebloods. They are the gods and anyone who is not a pureblood is no more than the scum at their feet. Now, you can't possibly tell me that after living with his family for ten years that Sirius Black has not absorbed some of his parents' teachings."

(Sirius's pov)

Wow, this was definitely a bad idea, coming to the Potters' house for Christmas break. Mrs. Potter's hatred for me was intense. Well, not for me, but for my family and others who were like my family. Considering I'm nothing like my family, she can't possibly have a grudge against me. She just _thinks_ she does.

I laughed softly at my philosophy. James head whipped up and our eyes met. He grinned at me ever so slightly. I smiled back and went on to listen to Mrs. Potter's rant. If James's dad was anything like his mother, then I would probably find myself on the street by this time tomorrow, if it took that long to kick me out. Either way, I would have to turn up my patent Sirius Black charm to win over the Potter adults. Somehow I would convince them that I'm really not evil.

A.N. sorry that that took so long. I had a serious writer's block on this chapter. Anyways, I hope you liked it. please review! Thanks.


	15. Packing and Unpacking

Chapter 15

(Sirius pov)

"Mom…" James said softly, staring at his mother with slight mortification and sorrow.

After her rant, Mrs. Potter seemed to lose her desire to fight and leaned against the counter as if suddenly exhausted. "What, James?" she asked tiredly. Although I couldn't see her face, I thought that it was probably drawn and defeated looking.

James glanced over her shoulder at me and I shook my head slightly. I didn't want her knowing that I had heard everything that she had said. That would just make her feel bad and what did anyone gain if we all felt bad.

Mrs. Potter, however, turned around to follow her son's gaze and her eyes immediately fell upon me. Her eyes widened in horror and surprise. "Did you-" she started before trailing off. I just looked at her, not saying anything before turning my gaze to James. He was looking at me apologetically and mouthing the word "sorry". I shook my head slightly to show that I didn't really care.

(James pov)

This was going from bad to worse. I had wanted my mom to know how cruel she was being to my best friend, but I didn't want her to feel bad about it too. Why did life have to be so complicated? Couldn't things just work right just _once_?

"Sirius," my mom began, "I am so sorry. I didn't mean for you to hear all of that. It's completely out of line for me to be so rude. I'm sorry."

Sirius looked at her with his penetrating gray eyes. "Did you mean what you said?" My mom looked taken aback and hesitated for a moment. "Don't lie," Sirius said softly.

Lifting her chin in a defiant kind of way, my mother responded, "Yes, I did."

Sirius smiled slightly and turned to walk up the stairs. Before he did though, he stopped at the bottom and turned back. "Don't apologize then."

I raised my eyebrows at Sirius's response. I had not expected that kind of a retort from my friend. It was so weird when I got to see the more mature side of him. Usually he was like me, willing to cause mischief and trouble, but when he was serious, he was mature and sincere. I knew that he didn't want false apologies. I knew that he liked knowing the truth, whether or not it was hurtful. So I guess it shouldn't have surprised me at how he responded to my mother's hatred.

My mom, on the other hand, was completely shocked at his reaction. She watched him as he walked up the stairs, disbelief crossing her face at his maturity. I could see the wheels in her mind turning. "Is he always like that?" she asked softly after a moment. She turned to face me again.

I, however, was tired of my mom's prejudice behavior and simply shrugged before walking after Sirius. "He's just like every other kid, Mom," I said as I passed her on my way out of the kitchen.

(Sirius pov)

I hate packing and unpacking. It never ends. Once something is unpacked, it is easy to access. However, whenever I need to go somewhere, I need to pack it all back out so that it's easy to carry. Then, when I get to my destination, I have to unpack it…again. And of course, to get back to Hogwarts, I need to pack everything back up. Once at Hogwarts, I need to unpack again so I will have easy access to my items. It's a never ending cycle, and I hate it. Is there really a point to it? Not really.

I sighed and carefully folded my shirts back up and setting them neatly into my trunk. I had just unpacked and now I was packing up again. See how the cycle goes? I chuckled to myself slightly. I really was demented.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked from the door. I turned around and saw James standing there, looking at the packed trunk with raised eyebrows.

"I'm packing," I said, gesturing to the packed trunk for emphasis. It was really fairly obvious.

James sighed and walked in with a dejected stride. He came to my trunk and began unpacking again. "You," he said as he put a pile of my shirts into a drawer, "are not going," he moved back to my trunk and pulled out my pants to put away, "anywhere."

I watched him, my arms crossed across my chest and my eyebrows raised. "And," I said as I moved to intercept him as he put my pants into a drawer, "Why not?"

James stopped and looked at me intently. I shuffled slightly, but otherwise met his stare. "Because," he simply said as if that explained everything. I shook my head slightly. That was not an acceptable excuse. James sighed. "Because…since when did Sirius Black give up?"

(James pov)

I watched as the expression on his face went from confusion, to doubt, and finally to defiance. Sirius had one of those faces that you could read like a book, if you knew the right language. If you had no idea who he was or what his background was, it would seem like he was always wearing a mask, which he technically was. However, I had known him long enough to see through his cold mask and read the emotions flashing across his face.

"Sirius Black," Sirius finally said, breaking through my thoughts, "never gives up."

I nodded. "Good," I stated. "Now let's finish unpacking your stuff. I'm hungry."

Sirius laughed, "You're always hungry."

I feigned a hurt expression and was about to retort, but my mom called up from the bottom of the stairs, "James, your father should be home any minute. You and Sirius should clean up and come down for dinner."

Sirius's laughter immediately faded away and we shared a glance. His face was suddenly full of worry and more doubt. But he quickly wiped it away and forced a grin to grace his face. I chuckled softly. "Come on. Let's go down and sign our death certificates."

Sirius laughed again and followed me out of the room.

(Sirius pov)

This sucks. No, this more than sucks. This _really_ sucks. If his mother, who was supposed to be this sweet accepting lady, was so close-minded about me, what would his father, this tough un-accepting man, react like? James has his face masked in grim determination. It was almost as if we were going to war. Neither of us knew if we would survive this confrontation, but we would both go out fighting.

As we reached the first floor, we could hear soft chatter in the dining room. The first thing I saw of Mr. Potter was his back and graying hair. He was standing at the counter talking with his wife in a hushed voice.

Mrs. Potter saw us first and beckoned us in with an incline of her head. We walked into the dining room/kitchen cautiously, waiting for the explosion. Mr. Potter turned around and eyed us both. James boldly stepped forward to make the introductions.

"Dad," he said, breathing in deeply before continuing. "This is Sirius Black. He's a friend of mine from Hogwarts."

Mr. Potter's eyebrows rose as he gazed at me, examining me. "Sirius Black, that's interesting…" he murmured. Abruptly he turned away. "So what's for dinner?"

A.N. Should he be angry or oddly accepting? I don't know. Anyways, please tell me in a review or mental telepathy shrugs lol. Anyways, thank you for reading this and please review.


	16. Unsettling Conversations

Chapter 16

(James's pov)

He was thinking it over. That was never a good thing. When he thought things over, he usually came to bad conclusions. And if they weren't bad conclusions, then they were usually completely inaccurate and unrealistic conclusions.

Sirius was staring at my dad with wide eyes, trying to understand what was going on through my dad's mind. If only I could tell him how my father's mind worked. His mind worked through hard, cold facts first and then went through assumptions. Through those, he would make deductions. His actions relied on his deductions. So, if he decided that Sirius was evil simply because his family was less than satisfactory (which he most undoubtedly would), then Sirius's life just became a bigger hell house than his own home. If only he knew what I had unwittingly gotten him into.

However, there wasn't anything I could say to Sirius without being completely obvious. As such, I simply began to load Sirius's plate with food and then my plate. Silently I lead the way to the table and sat down, Sirius sitting beside me with my parents across from us. Moments later, my mother and father sat down across from us and an uncomfortable silence fell around us.

Usually dinners with my father were uncomfortable to begin with. He would make awkward attempts to get to know me, feigning as much interest as he possibly could. My mother would do her best to be the peace keeper in the unspoken war. It was a war of wits. It was a war of who was better at pretending we were a normal, happy family. Which I was. I was very content with my life. That usually didn't include my father though. It was usually just my mom and me, and that's how I mostly liked it.

Now, however, with Sirius added to the picture, another tension was added. My mom didn't like him and my dad would draw the wrong conclusions and decide that he didn't like him. Sirius was just an innocent victim in the whole scenario and I was attempting to be the peacekeeper.

"So, Sirius," my dad began as he took a bite of his dinner. "What is your family like?"

Sirius choked on the sip of water that he had just taken and ended up coughing. I gently pat him on the back while glaring at my father out of the corner of my eyes. Which I guess technically isn't a glare, but it had the same bitter emotion in it. That was one of my dad's specialties. Subtlety. He never directly confronted a person about why he didn't like them. He just asked different questions that would give them the answer to the question of his disliking if they were paying attention. Unfortunately, Sirius was too bright to miss something like that.

"My family?" he asked, once he had finished coughing.

"Yes," clarified my dad. "Like…I don't know. What do they do? What kind of parents are they? How do they treat others?" The ending of that question was unspoken but heard just as clearly. _How do they treat others of "lesser standings"_?

Sirius stared at my father, completely taken aback and unsure of as to answer. This was my typical father. Malicious in his own way, yet still cold and harsh without any mercy. Sirius Black would not escape from this conversation unscathed.

"Well," Sirius began, after thinking it though for a minute. "My parents are just like any other parents, sir." My dad's eyebrows rose at that comment so Sirius continued. "I mean, they work their hardest to provide for their children, meaning me and my brother, who they care about in their own way. They teach their children what they feel they need to know about life and people in general and if those views don't match up with the rest of society, then that's just an opinion. And opinions can't be wrong, can they sir? No, not usually. That's why it's an opinion. A fact can be proved wrong, an opinion can't be. Anyways, the way they treat others could be improved upon, then again I'm sure that everyone has a weakness in their lives that could be improved on. Therefore, I draw the conclusion that my parents are simply people trying to make their way in this hard, unforgiving, judgmental world."

Or maybe my father would not escape from the conversation unscathed.

(Sirius pov)

Silence once again fell at the table. I shifted my eyes back to my dinner and took another bite of potatoes. Yeah…that pretty much summed up my family. They did what they thought was best, even if it wasn't. I didn't lie though. Was there a better way to describe them than to call them simply human? I didn't think so.

From the corner of my eyes I could see James shooting me admiring looks. I must have said something right, for he seemed to approve. I just wonder how his parents took it. I honestly didn't mean to go off on that tangent, but it was the only honest way I could answer. And while it might have spun a few heads, honesty is always the best policy. Well, almost always.

(James pov)

Dinner finished in silence. My dad was fuming at being shot down at his own game while my mother was relieved that the open confrontation was over for the present time. Sirius acted as if he just wanted to go upstairs and repack so he could go back to Hogwarts tomorrow morning. The dinner couldn't have seemed any longer.

When it was over, Sirius immediately went upstairs, with me following him. before I could put one foot on the stairs, though, my father called me back. "James, your mother and I would like to speak to you before you went off to bed."

I stopped reluctantly and looked at Sirius apologetically before turning around on my heel and walking back into the dining room to talk to my parents. Sirius simply shrugged and went upstairs.

"Yes, Mother, Father?" I asked, sitting down across from them.

My father seemed to be trying to compose himself before he said anything, but when he spoke his voice still trembled with unsuppressed anger. "What in the world possessed you to bring that FILTH TO OUR HOUSE?" he asked, starting softly and ending up in a yell.

I unwittingly flinched back slightly, but answered defiantly, "He's my friend, that's what possessed me. His parents didn't want him coming home for the holidays because he was sorted into Gryffindor and I didn't want him to be alone for the holidays."

"If his own parents didn't want him, what makes you think we do?" he snapped, his face turning red in his anger.

"I thought you would be more open minded and less hypocritical!" I exclaimed. "What has Sirius done to you? You treat him worse than you would a pesky spider on the wall just because he didn't get to chose his own family!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING HYPOCRITICAL?" my father roared, getting to his feet.

"You, Dad," I said calmly. "You do realize that, should I ever go to Sirius's house, I probably would have been treated in much the same manner by his parents."

"No, you probably would have been kicked out, because they look down on us. To them we are less than human," my mom calmly interjected.

"To _them_, Mom. Not to Sirius."

"Sirius _is_ them, son," my father said, sitting down again.

I sighed in frustration and stood up. His use of the word _son_ set something off in me. Now I was furious as well."You don't even know _me_, Dad. How can you expect to know someone that you just met today?"

My father blinked in confusion for a moment before softly asking, "What do you mean?"

I sighed again and began pacing, waving my arms around randomly for emphasis. "You have never been here. Maybe once in a while you'll be home for dinner and we'll have these nice forced conversations. But other than that, we're strangers. I'll see you once a week when I'm not at school, maybe. You focus more on your work than you do your family. And here you are, telling me who to be friends with when you don't even know me. You're trying to tell me what's right for me when you've denied me of what's right for me for most of my life."

(Sirius pov)

I hadn't gone upstairs. I couldn't have. They were talking about me and I was way to nosy to not eavesdrop. I was shocked though, not at what Mr. Potter said, but what came out of James's mouth.

I had never had someone stick up for me like James Potter was at that moment. Standing up to his own father and mother, who actually loved him and cared about him, despite some father-son relationship problems. I could tell that James and his father would reconcile easily simply because Mr. Potter really did love his son and James really did love his father. I could also tell that my presence in the Potter residence, for the moment, had completely been forgotten about. I knew the argument would be brought up again tomorrow and probably the next day and maybe the rest of my stay. For now though, I was going to go to bed and let the Potters be a family without an intruder.

For now, I would be satisfied with what I had.

A.N. I decided that he'd be angry because EsScaper made a lot of sense. Erm, in the next chapter I think I'm going to have a resolution…maybe. I think two more chapters at the Potter's house. I think. Anyways, please review, thanks for reading and sorry for disappointing you guys.


	17. Hate

Hi guys. Before the chapter, I just want you to know that I'm looking for a Beta reader (is that what they're called?) Anyways, if you're interested, please...tell me somehow. And now the chapter:

Chapter 17

(James pov)

Life in my house didn't change much. Tension still filled the air whenever Sirius and I were around my parents. Neither of them would admit that they were wrong about my friend. I suspected that they were just waiting to wake up dead, killed by some painful curse.

To avoid any unwanted confrontations, Sirius and I mainly stayed away from them. Several times we visited the village and hung out with some of the muggle children that were playing around. However, considering the fact that it was December and freezing outside, we usually just wandered around the candy stores, wishing that we could buy some. Neither Sirius nor I actually had any muggle money so we could only look at the various chocolates.

Other times, we lounged around the house, thinking up new pranks to use against the Slytherins. We had come up with several different things, but none were amazingly fantastic. The typical dying stuff pink, red, and gold, having singing vegetables, having their laundry chase them around the school…pretty much the usual stuff. The kind of stuff that got a laugh but not prolonged recognition. Sirius, however, would quickly tire of the long days sitting in my room. He always wanted to go out and do something exciting.

The problem was, without my parents, there was really nothing exciting that we could do. I knew that, should we ask to go to Diagon Alley, they would say no, thinking that Sirius would betray me once alone with me. It didn't matter that I shared a dorm room with him and that he was possibly my best friend, he would still betray me.

(Sirius pov)

I hate this. I hate this I hate this I HATE THIS!

I hate sitting around doing nothing. I hate being in a house with two adults who don't like or trust me. I hate not being able to change their opinion of me. I hate their polite silence that could cut through flesh if I let it. I hate how narrow-minded they are.

I hate being a Black. I hate my family. I hate their treatment of their children. I hate their reputation. I hate their sick beliefs. I hate the fact that the reputation follows me. I hate that people look at the name first and the person later. I hate how hypocritical people are.

I hate that James acts ashamed of me half of the time. I hate that he won't let me fight my own battles. I hate James for being so bloody perfect. I hate myself for hating James.

Most of all, I hate the word hate.

(James pov)

Sirius and I were sitting around in my bedroom Christmas Eve. He had just come up with a moderately good prank idea when there was a huge crash at the door. I sat up straight and looked over at Sirius, whose eyebrows were raised. He had a mildly confused look on his face, but a look of fear was crossing at the same time.

"What's wrong?" I asked sounding worried despite my attempt to mask it.

Sirius just shook his head. "I just…I have a bad feeling about this."

(Sirius pov)

That crash…how many times had I heard it crashing on my door when my parents felt that I needed a lecture of punishment of some type? I didn't want to immediately think the worst, but it reminded me too much of what I had been through as a younger child.

_Flashback _

_CRASH CRASH CRASH! _

_"SIRIUS BLACK! OPEN THIS DOOR IMMEDIATELY!" his mother screeched. _

_I hid in a corner. I knew if I opened that door I would be punished beyond belief. _

_CRASH CRASH CRASH!_

_"What'd I do, Mommy?" I whimpered reluctantly. If I had kept quiet, maybe she would have gone away. I'm so weak. _

_"JUST OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!" _

_CRASH CRASH CRASH! _

_End Flashback _

"A bad feeling?" James asked me, worry now spreading from his voice to his facial expressions.

I simply shrugged and followed James as he got up to leave his room.As we reached the top of the stairs, we could see my mother and father standing in the doorway, looking regal and haughty. Their expressions, when turned towards Mr. and Mrs. Potter, were full of disdain and disliking.

Immediately I felt my face turn cold and emotionless, as I had been taught to do since I was a young boy. It wasn't even voluntary anymore, simply habit.

"Mother, Father," I said, greeting them as I walked down the stairs. My voice was filled with ice as I spoke to them.

"Sirius," my mother greeted in return, just as stiff.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter stood there, watching our exchange. "What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to suppress the bubbling anger that was building up in my chest. I was very aware of James watching closely from the top of the stairs. I couldn't tell if he was suspicious of me or my parents, or even both, but for the moment I had to block him and his parents out of my mind.

"We came to ask you the same thing," my father replied shortly. There was so much venom in both of their voices that, should I not been as trained as I was at remaining emotionless, I would have flinched back. Instead, I stood my ground and met his eyes evenly.

"Couldn't you have used an owl to send a letter? That's how most people communicate, you know."

My mother lurched forward as if about to hit me and I braced myself, waiting for the blow, but my father had gently grabbed her wrist and shot her a warning glare. She narrowed her eyes angrily, but put her arm back down and watched my exchange with my father with narrowed eyes.

"Listen, boy," my father said in a dangerously quiet voice, "you will treat us with respect. Why did you disobey our distinct wishes and come to the home of these FILTHY MUDBLOOD LOVERS? YOU KNOW THEY ARE FILTH YET YOU INSIST ON MINGLING WITH THEM! DOES THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY, ANGERING YOUR FAMILY? DO YOU ENJOY BEING AN OUTCAST FROM OUR FAMILY TO FRATERNIZE WITH SUCH TRAITOROUS FILTH?"

Silence filled the room as my father breathed in deeply, trying to extinguish the inappropriate display of emotion. I took a deep breath myself and prepared an answer that I knew would infuriate my father to no ends.

(James pov)

Wow. That man hated my family with a passion. Filth? Traitorous? That was harsh. Sirius just stood there, absorbing everything his father said. For a moment I thought he was just going to agree and then leave with his parents. However, like usual, Sirius Black shocked me.

"Well, Father," he began slowly, thinking through his words carefully, "as I do recall, you only forbade me to go to _our _house this Christmas break. You said nothing about going to someone else's house. And for another thing, James and his family are not filth. They're different, but so am I. And if fraternizing with James means I'm an outcast to my family, then oh well. Sure I'd rather not be an outcast, but James has been more of a family member than you, Mother, or Regulus. The only one who has loved and cared about me at all in our family is Andromeda, and she's just as big of a disgrace as I am. So what does that say about our family? The only ones worth caring about are either, as you say, _mudbloods_ or blood traitors. And if I have to be a blood traitor and an outcast to have a shred of decency in me, then that's my choice. Because decency is more important than lineage. Love is more important than blood."

A.N. is Sirius too smart? Too…philosophical? Oh well, I like him. Sorry for the delay. I'll update quicker, I promise. Thanks for reviewing. Please review again and thanks for reading.


	18. Reconciliation

Chapter 18

(Sirius pov)

I stood there in silence, waiting for the explosion. To my surprise, though, it never came. My parents stood staring at me, shock covering their faces. Silence reigned for several moments spanning to a minute.

I knew that over the summer I would get yelled at, or even in a letter later. My parents weren't the kind of people who had random outbursts. At least not in front of others and most definitely not in front of enemies. It was still surpising to get no response at all, though.

Finally, my mother's temper got the better of her. "Why you ungrateful little-"

My father, however, put up a hand, which produced effective silence. "We will discuss this at home. Now come."

They turned and headed toward the door without glancing back. I stayed standing still, staring at their retreating backs. Did they really think I was just going to follow them as if nothing had happened? Firstly, I had to pack, secondly…I didn't _want _to go with them, and I thought I had told them that very…eloquently.

"Well?" my father asked from the door, turning back to stare at me.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Did you not hear what I just said?"

"We heard," my mother hissed through clenched teeth, "and we disapprove of what these mudblood lovers have so easily engraved in your impressionable mind. As such, you are coming home. Now."

I shook my head and crossed my arms across my chest. I knew that in moments I would probably either be struck by a hand or a spell, but it didn't matter. I wasn't going to give in this time. I had too much at stake, too much that I could lose should I make one wrong move.

(James pov)

Sirius stood still, staring at his parents intently. He had a haughty air about him and held himself stiffly. Silence once again fell between the Blacks. Sirius narrowed his eyes ever so slightly and said in a strong, clear voice, "No."

Outrage immediately took place on Mrs. Black's face. The outburst that she hadbeen holding out during their entire exchange finallyexploded. "Why you insolent little brat! How dare you talk back to us! You filthy little mudblood lover. You're just like them, a traitor. Just you watch, you're going to meet a sticky end."

Sirius's father had an angry glint in his eyes as he glared at his eldest son. "Sirius Black," he said softly, dangerously. "You will come home with us _now_."

Sirius's face paled ever so slightly at his father's tone but stood his ground. "No."

His mother's eyes narrowed and she raised her hand to slap him.

(Sirius pov)

I saw the slap coming. I had seen it coming since the beginning of this conversation. It was always coming. I just had to wait for the right words, the right type of defiance. And as usual, when I saw it coming, I braced myself for the stinging blow. I would not allow myself to flinch, cry out in pain, or show emotion of any kind. That would only increase the punishment. I am a Black. Blacks are emotionless. I am emotionless.

So I stood there waiting. Waiting for a blow that would send my head spinning and ears ringing. Waiting for a blow that…apparently wasn't coming. A few moments went by and the blow still didn't fall. Instead, myparents were staring over my head at, I assumed, the Potters. I risked turning around only to find myself looking at an enraged Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Mr. Potter had pulledhis wand out and was pointingit at my parents.

"I want you out of my house," Mr. Potter said, his voice shaking in evident anger. My mother slowly lowered her hand and managed to compose herself within a matter of seconds. My father still looked angry, but he had inconspicuously put his arms near where he hid his wand. I knew that, should it really come to throwing hexes, my father would be ready to throw any amount of painful curse. I also knew, though, that it was the last thing he wanted to do. It wasn't proper, he believed, to duel under such petty circumstances. He preferred to work things out through bribes or manipulation. Outward signs of violence were not his style. At least not in public.

"Not without the boy," he muttered through clenched teeth.

Mr. Potter gazed down on me, as if making his final judgment. I certainly hoped that, in the time between our first encounter and now, his opinion had changed. If he didn't want me here, then there was no way I would be able to stay. Mrs. Potter also gazed at me, a less harsh expression on her face. Instead, I could see something worse. I could see pity. Internally I shuddered. I hated pity, with a strong passion.I hated it more than hate.It made me feel weak and vulnerable.

"Come, Sirius," my father again commanded, turning towards the door. Once again, I stood my ground. He turned back and stared at me. His eyes were filled with terrifying fury. His face was beginning to contort in an attempt to not show his anger. My mother was trembling in her fury. I was surprised. I hadn't expected my defiance to anger them so deeply. Then again, I had just recently betrayed my family by, not only getting sorted into Gryffindor, but also by befriending blood traitors like the Potters and half-bloods like Remus and Peter.

"Let him stay here," Mr. Potter finally said quietly, yet firmly.

My father turned to glare at him, disbelief crossing his face. I stared straight ahead, not believing what I had just heard. Mr. Potter had just defended me. Mr. _Potter _had just defended _me. _Apparently my parents were having a hard time believing it too. My mother's face had gone blank, a slightly mad glint in her eyes. My father just stood still, staring at the Potters.

"What?" my father finally uttered, disbelief coursing through his voice. "Why would I leave him with you?"

Mrs. Potter stepped up this time and held her chin up defiantly. "Because you apparently don't really want him for the holidays and because you need to cool your temper down. Just because you don't agree with your son doesn't mean you can abuse him in any way, shape, or form."

"Now, if you'll please…get out of my house!" Mr. Potter exclaimed. My parents stood there for a few more moments, still stunned, before apparating with a loud snap.

(James pov)

"Sirius!" I exclaimed as I hurried down the stairs to my friend's side. He was staring at where his parents had once been, motionlessly. "Are you alright, mate?"

Sirius turned to face me, surprise on his face. He seemed to be somewhat dazed. "Yeah," he said, sounding completely lost, "yeah, I'm fine."

My mom and dad stood back, watching our exchange. I was so glad that they had stuck up for Sirius. After all that had just happened, they would have had to be made out of stone to have felt nothing. Apparently Sirius had proved himself trustworthy. And we didn't need any elaborate plans or pranks to convince them.

"I think…I think I'm gonna go to bed," Sirius said, his voice still dazed.

I raised my eyebrows as he slowly trudged up the stairs. "But Sirius, it's only 5 o'clock. Not to mention it's Christmas Eve."

"Ugh," Sirius responded as he reached the top of the stairs, which I took to mean 'I don't honestly care'. He vanished from sight and a few moments later I heard the soft click of a door closing.

That left me alone with my parents. They were looking at me carefully, as if waiting for an 'I-told-you-so' or a sharp reprimand. I didn't intend to do either though. Instead, I walked over to them and wrapped my arms around my mother and then my father.

"Thank you so much," I said softly as I stepped back. I wasn't used to showing emotion like this in front of my dad, but it was deserved this time. I was so grateful that they had accepted my friend, or at least taken the first steps towards accepting, that I didn't care what they thought of my outwards signs of affection.

"James, I'm sorry. We should have trusted your judgment. Or at least have gotten to know him before judging him," my mother said softly, a small smile gracing her face.

"Thanks, Mom," I said again, beaming at my parents. Yes, parents. Even my father. He was standing there, his hands awkwardly stuffed into his pockets. He appeared to be as shocked as Sirius was at what he had done.

"Come on," my mother said, turning and heading towards the kitchen. "Let's go have some pie. You can take some up to Sirius later, if he's awake."

I smiled at the thought of pie and then turned to follow her. My dad's hand on my shoulder stopped me, though, and I turned around and looked up at him expectantly. He looked awkward and somewhat nervous.

He hesitated for a moment, thinking over what he wanted to say. He opened his mouth a few times to start a sentence, before abruptly closing it over and over again. Finally, he gestured for me to follow him over to the Christmas tree. Bending down, he rummaged around and picked up a soft looking gift. "Here," he said, thrusting it at me. "I wanted to give this to you in private as I don't think your mom would appreciate me giving it to you."

With those words said, he turned and walked into the kitchen where my mom was singing Christmas carols and cutting the pie. Within moments I could hear him joining in with her, his voice a bass and hers a soprano. Both were slightly off key yet their voices blended together brilliantly, perfectly. I smiled slightly and focused on the gift in my hand.

Carefully, I began to undo the green and gold wrapping paper to reveal a silvery kind of material. With baited breath, I pulled out the cloth to find an invisibility cloak. A note was pinned to the material. It read:

_James, _

_I used the cloak constantly when I was a boy in Hogwarts. I hope you'll enjoy and use it like I did. Get into mischief, but not too much mischief. Have fun and do good work. _

_Always,_

_Your father_

(Sirius pov)

I could hear their voices downstairs. They were singing Christmas carols. Their voices were filled with joy and excitement. I could just picture them downstairs, conducting their traditional Christmas Eve rituals. I smiled slightly as I envisioned them all.

I was considering getting up and going downstairs, but changed my mind in the process of doing so. I didn't really want to go down. I was content being by myself. _Just let it be_, I thought to myself as I lay down on my bed and faced the ceiling. _Just let it be…_

A.N. I am so sorry for how long this took. Not only did I want this chapter to be perfect, but work was crazy and school started again. And, despite taking a month on the chapter, it still sucks. Anyways, I'm really sorry. Please read and review anyways, even though I don't deserve it. Thanks.


	19. Merry Christmas

Chapter 19

(Sirius pov)

"Merry Christmas!" Mrs. Potter yelled out as James and I stumbled down the stairs the next morning. We were both exhausted from our late night. Sure I hadn't done much, just stayed in my room and stared at the ceiling, but brooding about life can be quite physically tolling if you do it too much. James had stayed up fairly late with his parents, having a merry old time.

"Mer-mer-merry Christ…mas," James greeted in return between yawns. I didn't even attempt it. I knew that, should I even open my mouth, I would yawn and therefore butcher any sentence that I intended to say. Instead, I simply nodded at the Potters before collapsing into a lazy chair by the fireplace. It was a very comfortable lazy chair for that matter. I smiled ever so slightly as James staggered around the living room as if he were drunk.

"So what'd you get me?" asked James, plopping down beside me, blinking his eyes repeatedly, trying to keep them open. Had I not been so tired, I would have laughed at him, for he looked like an owl.

Mrs. Potter didn't say anything in response though, just picked up a gift and threw it over to her son. Honestly, I thought that that was the stupidest thing she could have done, for James was half asleep and most likely going to miss catching the huge parcel heading towards his head. Much to my surprise he caught it right before it hit his face though. I smiled ever so slightly and watched as he began to tear the paper off in a slow manner. His exhaustion was completely taking over his desire to be excited that it was Christmas.

"Look at that," Mr. Potter said as he walked in. "We no longer have to worry about him coming in at five in the morning wanting to go see what Santa brought him."

I raised my eyebrows at this statement. "Who's Santa?" I asked, completely befuddled about why this Santa person would bring James a gift.

This caused immediate silence in the house as three pairs of eyes turned themselves on me. "Um…is something wrong?" I asked, wondering if I was still not completely accepted by James's parents.

"You've never heard of Santa Claus?" asked James in utter shock. I looked at him and nodded mutely.

"I've heard him mentioned a few times around my house, but not an in depth description of him."

James raised his eyebrows and shook his head ever so slightly. "You, my friend, have had a very deprived childhood."

I laughed at this and nodded in slightly bitter agreement. "I would never deny that."

(James pov)

He had never heard of Santa Claus. How he had managed that, I had no idea. It was just a foreign idea to me. Santa Claus was a symbol to children all around the world. He was the very spirit of Christmas! Alright, maybe not the _very _spirit of Christmas, but he was very close. And to think that Sirius had never even heard of them was just ridiculous.

"I suggest," my mother burst into my thoughts rudely, "that we begin to open all of these rotting presents."

"Rotting?" I asked skeptically. "Unless you got a lot of candy or other kind of food, I highly doubting they're rotting."

"Must you be so literal?" teased Sirius who sat up with a grin on his face. I merely rolled my eyes and got up to kneel by the gifts under the tree. Sirius remained sitting in his chair and watched with avid eyes.

"Alright, this one is for…" I said, picking up the gift and attempting to read my dad's untidy scrawl. "Um…it's for…I can make out an "s" and another "s" and a "b" and a "k"…I do believe that this is for Sirius Black. Sirius Black?" I looked up in surprise, looking over at my parents with a shocked expression on my face.

Sirius was looking at me and the gift with an equally shocked look on his face. "Um…are you sure you can read, James?" he asked. "Maybe you're wearing faulty glasses…yeah, that must be it."

I rolled my eyes in exaggeration at that comment and threw the gift at his head. He neatly caught it and stared at the tag indicating that it was his. A weird expression crossed his face, something of sorrow and pure delight. A pang of pity went through me. A pang that I quickly suppressed and hid. Sirius would not want pity. That much I knew. He was much too proud to desire anything more than acceptance and maybe slight sympathy from his friends.

(Sirius pov)

I got a present, I got a present. La la la la la. I got a present. Okay, I'm an idiot. I still got a present though. The last time I had received a present that wasn't a stupid heirloom was…well, I had never gotten something that wasn't of incredible importance. And here was a gift, sitting in my lap, that couldn't possibly be some stupid book that had been passed down in my family for the past 400 years. It was simply amazing! Now if only I knew what it was…

"So are you going to open it or just sit there staring at the wrapping paper all day?" asked James, looking at me with raised eyebrows. "I mean, I know the paper's pretty and all that, but you gotta let it go."

I rolled my eyes. And people said I over exaggerate. He did, however, have a point. So I began to tear at the paper to get to the gift. Dimly I was aware of the Potters all watching me with avid interest. Any other time it probably would have been unnerving, but I was too happy to really care. Soon enough, the paper was strewn about on the floor and I was the proud owner of a new…whatever it was.

James's parents were watching me with expectation. James was craning his neck to see what I had gotten. When he saw the item he laughed. "Nice, Mum, Dad," he said affectionately.

"Erm…I hate to sound rude, but I honestly have no idea what this is," I said, looking at them with confusion in my eyes.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter immediately burst into laughter. "It's a joke," Mrs. Potter said after her laughing stopped momentarily.

I raised my eyebrows. A joke? I was so confused.

Mrs. Potter, however, came over to me, pulling out her wand. After muttering a few words which were obviously a spell of some kind, the...thing turned into a Quidditch book and a box of chocolate.

"I'll imagine you'll enjoy those two items more than you'll enjoy the…whatever it was," Mr. Potter said, smiling at my growing smile. So he had no idea what the thing was either. That made me feel a little better.

"It was some muggle thing we found in a random store in the village," Mrs. Potter explained. I nodded and absently flipped through the book. It was really nice, with interesting moving pictures and everything. I smiled up at the Potters from my place on the floor.

"Thank you so much," I said, sincerity that I didn't know I had flowing through my voice.

Mrs. Potter smiled down at me and bent down to quickly give me a hug, completely catching me off guard. On impulse, I stiffened but then relaxed into the hug. It was the first time that I could remember being hugged by a mother. I had an irrational fear of being touched, simply because my parents were psychos. But this hug wasn't like that. It was completely different in so many ways. It expressed caring and wasn't frightening. And the even stranger thing about it is I really liked it.

A.N. I suck at updating during the school year. Keep that in mind y'all. Anyways, I'm tired cuz…it's late. Anyways, thanks for reading please review…live, love, and have passion!


	20. Cuts and Bruises

Chapter 20

(Sirius pov)

The rest of the year passed in a kind of blur. A good blur mind you, but a blur nonetheless. Classes went by as usual, random letters expressing intense anger were sent to my from my parents, James continually tormented the Slytherins, which seemed to provoke the anger of a certain red-head, Remus continued to randomly disappear once a month, and Peter continually irritated me to the point of insanity.

However, James had somehow managed to make quite an enemy of Severus Snape. Not that I particularly liked him, but I had been brought up with him, raised in the same kind of strict household that upheld matching morals and beliefs. He, however, chose to follow what his parents told him while I decided that their ideals were nothing more than ridiculous dogma that had no more importance than Santa Claus (who I still didn't fully understand).

I'm not really sure how they became enemies, but I think it mainly aroused because of Lily. Now James might not particularly like Lily, but she was still in his house, meaning that he would go to any length to defend her. When it came to house loyalty, it didn't matter who you were, James Potter would defend you within an inch of his life. It was just his style. If you were in Gryffindor, you were worthy, but if you weren't and happened to wrong a Gryffindor, sooner or later some unfortunate prank will occur. Several people discovered this the hard way, some with varying dyes in their hair, others with random singing vegetables.

Anyways, the day that I truly believe that James came to completely loath Snape was during a cold winter day. There had been a snowstorm the previous night, blanketing the school in a nice white coat of pure, glistening, snow. Most of the students, myself included, wanted to do nothing more than go outside and have a nice snowball fight. Of course, class doesn't simply stop due to snow, so, instead, we sat through seemingly endless classes with continually droning teachers. Normally, this would be when I would catch up on all the sleep that I had been deprived of due to my many detentions and late nights of studying, but Snape was being especially harsh Evans. This left me in the position to make sure James didn't hex him with some curse behind the professor's back.

At the end of Potions, James had apparently had enough and pulled his wand out against Snape, backing him up into a corner. Unfortunately, James had not had enough experience with Slytherins to understand how devious and cunning they are. He also didn't realize that Slytherins were never wholly honest. This meant that he never foresaw the four extra Slytherins coming up from behind him, their wands drawn and pointed at James threateningly.

No one was actually hurt from this entire exchange. James had quickly surrendered, although he didn't really have too many options. I was shocked when I learned that the Slytherins were going to let him go without at least a few boils. However, as the saying goes, never look a gift horse in the mouth.

Or something like that…

(James pov)

The year flew by so quickly that it's almost unreal. Classes went by painfully slower than usual each day, Sirius and I constantly became closer friends, to the point of brotherhood, Remus seemed to grow smarter everyday, and Peter…well, let's just say he still has some social problems.

As it was, we were in our last week of school and I was sitting in our dormitory reading a book that Remus had lent me. Although most people would probably never guess that I ever read, I actually love to read. It's such an amazing way to tune out reality and fall into a fictitious world. Anyways, Remus was at the library for some last minute studying. We had a final exam in Transfiguration the next day which he felt sure he was going to fail. Peter was wandering around the castle for no good reason and I had no idea where he was.

So here I was, minding my own business when Sirius stumbles in, bruises all over and a bleeding split lip. At first I didn't notice, considering the fact that this was a typical entrance for him, but after doing a double take, I was able to take in all the damage that was done to him.

"Sirius, what the heck happen to you?" I exclaimed, throwing my book down and getting up quickly, rushing over to help my friend. Gently, I grabbed his arm and led him to the closest bed, which happened to be Peter's. "Did you repeatedly run into a wall to see how many times you could do it without passing out? Or did you decide that practicing hexes on Slytherins wasn't good enough for you?"

Sirius managed to throw me a disgruntled look from pain filled eyes but otherwise didn't answer. I sighed and decided to go find a wet towel to help him clean up a bit. Although I had seen Sirius beaten up fairly badly, I had never seen him this injured. Unlike most of his injuries, this one didn't appear to be his fault. Most of his wounds were acquired during our various pranks. This, however, looked like a direct attack.

Instead of brooding on the cause of his injuries, though, I decided to simply help him clean up and then, if needed, encourage him to go to the nurse. As I exited the bathroom, I found that Sirius had moved from the bed over to the window, and was staring outside listlessly. For a moment, I stood still; simply watching him, but then he turned around and met my gaze with a half smile and a gesture of his head.

"Thanks," he said, as he took the damp towel from my outstretched hand. Carefully, he cleaned the blood from his face and then examined his arms, checking for cuts and bruises. I stood by his side, watching his meticulous administrations.

After a couple of minutes in tense silence, I finally gathered the courage to ask what had happened to him.

Sirius avoided looking up to meet my ever watchful gaze, just concentrated on a newfound cut on his arm. "Something that I have had coming towards me for quite a while has finally caught up with me," he replied, monotonously, meaning, of course, that family ties and house loyalty had finally come to rear its hideous head.

Behind us, the door unexpectedly swung open, causing us to both jump in surprise. Peter swaggered in but abruptly stopped when his eyes fell on us. Worry instantly filled his eyes, but he didn't say anything as he quickly backed out of the room, muttering a quick "sorry" as he left.

Sirius watched him go with raised eyebrows. "That's one weird kid," he observed, a small smile lighting up his face.

I nodded, but didn't respond otherwise. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to really care about Peter at that particular moment. It didn't take much of a genius to know that the Slytherins had decided that Sirius needed to learn a lesson right before returning home for the summer. Now the only question that remained was how we were going to get our revenge.

A.N. Sorry for how long it took to update. I'll try to write faster. On to year 2 now. Anyways, please review and thanks for reading. (Go read Pong now, it's under games and incredibly hilarious).


	21. Summer Break Blues

Chapter 22 (Sirius pov) 

Only 22 more days until Hogwarts starts again. Only 22 more excruciating, long days. Twenty-two days filled with yelling, anger, disdain, and random punishments.

I don't think I can make it.

Not a day goes by without someone mentioning one of my many faults. If I received a gallon for every time I heard the word "mudblood lover" or "filthy scum of the earth", I would be a very wealthy twelve year old. Well...technically I am without that, but it hardly matters.

I miss school more than anything. I miss being able to go throughout a day without feeling worthless. I miss being around people who don't actually hate me for my beliefs. I miss... I miss my friends.

I wonder how their summers are going. I know that James has written me a letter and I've seen a couple of other strange owls that I figured were from Peter. Unfortunately, I also happen to have the parents from hell and they confiscated the letters before I even saw them.

So, as fate would have it, I have been locked in a room with nothing to do but stare at a wall. The food has been disgusting, the house elves don't even like me... I think my life really couldn't be worse right now. Although, there is a small blessing in my parents' unending anger. They have refused to see me and therefore, I haven't had to see them either.

Ah, how twisted luck is.

(James pov)

I hate school. I hate the work. I hate the professors. I hate the expectations. I hate the yelling, the sarcasm, the sneering, and the Slytherins.

Okay, I actually only hate homework. Which is actually fairly pathetic, seeing as there's hardly any of it. It's so simple. I mean, read a small passage of the text book, read the small, excruciatingly easy prompt, and then write a fairly short, simple essay.

However, despite the simplicity of the essay, it has another purpose, which is fairly depressing. It's purpose is to remind us, the poor students, of the long hours that we will spend writing essays. It's purpose is to keep the students on their toes, not allowing them to take a break.

Now, that's not to say that I actually do my work (well, I do, but it's fairly delayed; I'm a professional procrastinator), but it'd be nice to take a break from the essays and the busy work and...argh, school.

I do, however, miss my friends. I haven't heard from Sirius at all this break and I've sent him about ten letters. I figure that his parents just aren't letting him have his letters. But still, that only increases my worry. It makes me wonder if they've locked him up in his room and are starving him or beating him or... I don't know. I always have an overactive imagination. However, I'm not so sure I'm wrong this time.

Even my parents are worried...

(Sirius pov)

Only 10 more days. I swear, if I hear Regulus say one more snide comment, or hear my mother yell the word "blood traitor" or have my dad attempt to make me read one of their "pure blood" books, I will scream and go slightly homicidal.

I wouldn't make my worse enemy go through this crap. Oh wait. My worst enemy would greatly enjoy this shit. Damn. There went my greatest torture device.

Thank god for sarcasm. Sometimes I think it's the only thing that keeps me mildly sane.

Which, in the end, somehow only emphasizes the insanity that is slowly taking over.

(James pov)

Diagon Alley. I hoped to run into some of my friends here. But, as I'm slowly discovering, whatever deity there is, he obviously isn't on my side.

I was in the book store, wandering around, searching for the book for second year potions when I ran into Satan himself (more proof that any and all gods that exist are against me). There he was, standing around the transfiguration text book area. Snape. The one person that I can honestly say I would not miss should he randomly go missing. In Tibet. Or Siberia.

Anyways, because my parents kind of dislike confrontation (okay, they don't hate confrontation, they hate _me _having confrontations), I backed out of the book store, thus not picking up the book. But the worse part was he saw me. And not only did he see me, but he insisted upon talking to me.

"Hey Potter," Snape sneered while walking over to me. I rolled my eyes.

"What do you want, Snape?" I snapped back, not caring that he hadn't really done anything at all.

Snape shrugged and began to walk past me. He bumped into my shoulder and muttered in my ear, "I'd watch out this year if I were you. We don't take kindly to blood traitors and you happen to be friends with the greatest of them all."

With that, Snape slipped through the crowd and vanished. I stood there for a moment, stunned by the threat. Well, not stunned. It's not very surprising for Snape to make a threat. It's just surprising to hear him sound like he means it.

And for the first time, I actually feel like maybe...maybe we should be careful.

(Sirius pov)

Finally. I'm packed, I've checked, and I've rechecked. And now all I'm doing is waiting for my parents to take me to the bloody station. These two months have passed so slowly: no human contact, no outside contact. I look in the mirror. Bloody hell, I'm going to be the palest person I know, which is sad because I know Peter Pettigrew.

At this point, I almost wish that I had received a weekly beating, just to ensure that I still existed. Right now, if I didn't know better, I would have thought that I had vanished into thin air.

It's an interesting sensation, vanishing into thin air.

(James pov)

I'm packed, the homework is done, my parents are waiting in the car. So where the hell is my bloody shoe? It's not under the bed or the closet. Hell, it's not even in the back yard.

That's it, I'm wearing a different pair and I don't even care if they are old and falling apart and...well, grotesque. Oh well, I'll wear these and have my parents find my lost shoe and send it to me. If I look too much longer, I'll miss the train.

Now where are my other shoes? Damn it! They smell so heinous it's amazing that I can't find them based off of their smell. Maybe they're under the bed... Or the chair? Nope. Oh...

There's my other good shoe!

It's amazing how you find things when you stop looking for them.

I wish I'd stopped looking forty minutes ago.

A.N. I think this is a miracle. Another chapter. I'm sorry that the style has changed... Kinda. I like the whole stream of conscious writing style. I hope you like it or even still care. Thanks for reading and review if you feel so inspired.


	22. The Station

Chapter 23

(Sirius pov)

The station is packed with students and parents, each saying there good-byes and "I love yous". It's odd, but I feel out of place.

Well, maybe not so odd. My parents haven't so much as glanced at me sine we've left the house. But, to be fair, I haven't glanced at them either. In fact, I think we're all content just pretending that the other doesn't exist. It certainly makes things a lot easier as I walk away from them.

But I know that I am only trying to fool myself, and I 'm failing miserably. But I'll smile anyways and stand straight. If I'm truly unhappy about this parting, I don't show it, and if they suspect I'm less than happy, they don't ask about it. This is always how it's been. It's always been part of the Black mask.

Ha. It's less of a Black mask and more of a black charade.

(James pov)

Where is everyone? I've been standing around, staring anxiously, and for what? Nothing! They aren't here yet. Not a single one of my friends could make it to the station on time.

Although, to be fair, I'm really early. An hour early, to be precise. Apparently the shoe incident didn't take up as much time as I thought it had. But it clearly explains why my parents had been so confused as to why I was so hurried when I ushered them out of the house (they apparently hadn't been waiting in the car).

And now I'm waiting. Sighing and waiting. Sighing, waiting, and staring at my watch.

...Yep. This is going just great. I'm starting to believe the theory that time goes backwards when you stare at your watch. Before I thought that it was the craziest idea ever (time going backwards? How ridiculous). But then I would've bet my life that it went back five minutes.

No... I just read my watch wrong. I swear I've reverted back five years in terms of mental capacity within the past thirty minutes.

Whoever said that boredom can't kill was either a liar destined for hell or someone who had a hell of a life.

(Sirius pov)

There's Lily. There's Hannah. There's John. There's...oh, ew. The Slytherins. I think I'm gonna go this way.

Where in the world are my bloody friends? I know I'm not too early. So where are they?

"See, darling, that's the Black's son. He's no good. You'll want to avoid him. And if he, or any of the other Slytherins, gives you any problems, you can always go to a professor."

A mother's words of wisdom, of comfort... It's amazing how much they can sting. But I'll ignore it. I always do.

So, with determination, I will straighten my back and continue on my quest for James Potter. I will avoid confrontation, no matter how much I may want to argue with her. I will accept other's opinions about me, despite their false backing. I will let her badmouth me, because I don't have the heart to ask her not to.

"Excuse me, ma'am. What did you say?"

But that's the thing about friends. They'll do it for you.

(James pov)

"Excuse me, ma'am. What did you say?"

There was no way this woman was going to say that about my best friend and get away with it. She has no idea what Sirius is like and it's not fair for her to judge him, especially with him in earshot.

The woman looks like she's swallowed a lemon and Sirius shoots an appreciative glance in my direction.

"I don't believe that's any business of yours." Ha. Mistake number two.

"I actually think it is." Ha. Her kid's looking at her as if she's murdered a small puppy. "You see, Sirius Black happens to be my best friend. I don't like it when other people judge him because of his family."

The woman scoffs. "And who are you?" Ha. Prepare to eat your words with an apology.

"James Potter."

(Sirius pov)

And it is then that I am struck by the irony of this entire conversation. But I don't have time to dwell on it. I'm too busy grinning broadly at my best friend. James turns abruptly from the woman and walks up to me, slinging his arm around my shoulders. I'm reminded of how much my friends mean to me, now that I'm with them again. It had been a long summer.

"James! Sirius!"

There's Remus. He looks frazzled but delighted to see us. Another jolt of surprise goes through me. This has been the first time that anyone's really been happy to see me. The thought thrills me.

"What's up?" James asks, continuing the trek to the train, all three of us lugging our trunks behind us. "How was your summer?"

Remus shrugs tiredly and responds, "It was long and dull, yet it could have been worse." He looks at me and then turns to James. "How was your summers?"

"Great"

"Just splendid." I roll my eyes. Remus doesn't know what to say so he smiles briefly and boards the train, letting James help him pull his trunk in. Once his trunk is on, he wanders off to find a compartment, leaving James and me to find Peter.

"Just splendid?" James asks, his eyebrows raised.

Of course my summer break was far from splendid and both James and Remus know this. But outright saying that it was horrible doesn't make it any better. If anything it makes it worse, more real. But James doesn't know this so I merely shrug and chuckle at the expression on his face.

(James pov)

Where in the world is Peter? I mean, I know he's not Mr. Punctuality or anything, but seriously. The train's going to leave in five minutes and we still have to find Remus and...argh.

"Maybe we should put our trunks in the compartment and take shifts at staring out the window for him?" Sirius suggests. I turn to look at him, mulling over this idea.

"Sounds good," I say and we each pull our trunks onto the train and I send Sirius down to find the compartment that Remus chose.

I'm still worried about Sirius. He hasn't really said anything since I found him and he seems kind of withdrawn and tired. It makes me wonder what happened over the summer. What did his family do to him to cause him to lose that spark that is so trademark to Sirius?

A.N. Thanks for reading. Please review if you deem it worthy. 


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